Cavity optomechanics mediated by a quantum two-level system.
Coupling electromagnetic waves in a cavity and mechanical vibrations via the radiation pressure of photons is a promising platform for investigations of quantum-mechanical properties of motion. A drawback is that the effect of one photon tends to be tiny, and hence one of the pressing challenges is to substantially increase the interaction strength. A novel scenario is to introduce into the setup a quantum two-level system (qubit), which, besides strengthening the coupling, allows for rich physics via strongly enhanced nonlinearities. Here we present a design of cavity optomechanics in the microwave frequency regime involving a Josephson junction qubit. We demonstrate boosting of the radiation-pressure interaction by six orders of magnitude, allowing to approach the strong coupling regime. We observe nonlinear phenomena at single-photon energies, such as an enhanced damping attributed to the qubit. This work opens up nonlinear cavity optomechanics as a plausible tool for the study of quantum properties of motion.
Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University, PO Box 11100, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland.
J-M
JM
Pirkkalainen
Department of Applied Physics, Low Temperature Laboratory, Aalto University, PO Box 15100, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland.
S U
SU
Cho
University of Jyväskylä, Department of Physics, Nanoscience Center, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35 (YFL) FI-40014 University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.
F
F
Massel
Department of Physics, University of Oulu, FI-90014 Oulu, Finland.
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0000000274545412
J
Tuorila
University of Jyväskylä, Department of Physics, Nanoscience Center, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35 (YFL) FI-40014 University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.
T T
TT
Heikkilä
Department of Applied Physics, Low Temperature Laboratory, Aalto University, PO Box 15100, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland.
P J
PJ
Hakonen
Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University, PO Box 11100, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland.
M A
MA
Sillanpää