Pulsed quantum optomechanics

Printer-friendly versionSend by emailPDF version
Date: 
2011-09-07
Author(s): 

M. R. Vanner, I. Pikovski, G. D. Cole, M. S. Kim, C. . Brukner, K. Hammerer, G. J. Milburne, and M. Aspelmeyer

Reference: 

10.1073/pnas.1105098108

Studying mechanical resonators via radiation pressure offers a rich avenue for the exploration of quantum mechanical behavior in a macroscopic regime. However, quantum state preparation and especially quantum state reconstruction of mechanical oscillators remains a significant challenge. Here we propose a scheme to realize quantum state tomography, squeezing, and state purification of a mechanical resonator using short optical pulses. The scheme presented allows observation of mechanical quantum features despite preparation from a thermal state and is shown to be experimentally feasible using optical microcavities. Our framework thus provides a promising means to explore the quantum nature of massive mechanical oscillators and can be applied to other systems such as trapped ions.