Overview of Optomechanics in Hamburg: SQL and Beyond

Optomechanics deals with the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and mechanical objects. The optomechanical interaction is caused by radiation-pressure force, which was experimentally observed over a century ago. Modern interest in optomechanics is motivated from a few different directions: ultra-sensitive optical detection of forces, displacements and accelerations (e.g. LIGO); optomechanical systems as quantum transducer for applications in quantum information; and preparing and detecting nonclassical states of light and mechanical motion, which opens up possibilities for fundamental tests of quantum theory in hitherto inaccessible mass regimes.

I will present an overview of optomechanics research in Prof. Roman Schnabel’s group at Hamburg University. In the first part of the talk, I will describe the current project to optically detect the motion of a silicon nitride membrane in the middle of a Fabry-Perot cavity with a sensitivity at the standard quantum limit (SQL). The SQL is commonly understand to separate the ‘classical’ and ‘quantum’ measurement regimes, and in the second part of the talk I will describe the long-term goal of detecting EPR-entangled joint motion of two macroscopic mirrors.