A micropillar for cavity optomechanics

A. G. Kuhn (1) , M. Bahriz (2) , O. Ducloux (2) , C. Chartier (2) , O. Le Traon (2) , T. Briant (1) , P. -F. Cohadon (1) , A. Heidmann (1) , Christine Michel (3) , L. Pinard (3) , R. Flaminio (3)

1 LKB (Jussieu) - Laboratoire Kastler Brossel
2 ONERA - The French Aerospace Lab [Châtillon]
3 LMA - Laboratoire des matériaux avancés

We present a new micromechanical resonator designed for cavity optomechanics. We have used a micropillar geometry to obtain a high-frequency mechanical resonance with a low effective mass and a very high quality factor. We have coated a 60-µm diameter low-loss dielectric mirror on top of the pillar and are planning to use this micromirror as part of a high-finesse Fabry-Perot cavity, to laser cool the resonator down to its quantum ground state and to monitor its quantum position fluctuations by quantum-limited optical interferometry.

Domaines: Physique Quantique [quant-ph]; Optique [physics.optics]

A. G. Kuhn, M. Bahriz, O. Ducloux, C. Chartier, O. Le Traon, et al.. A micropillar for cavity optomechanics. Applied Physics Letters, 2011, 99, pp.121103. ⟨10.1063/1.3641871⟩. ⟨hal-00609698⟩