Year: 2021
Type: article
Abstract: We consider an optomechanical system comprising a single cavity mode and a dense spectrum of acoustic modes and solve for the quantum dynamics of initial cavity mode Fock (i.e., photon number) superposition states and thermal acoustic states. The optomechanical interaction results in dephasing without damping and bears some analogy to gravitational decoherence. For a cavity mode locally coupled to a one-dimensional elastic string-like environment or two-dimensional elastic membrane-like environment, we find that the dephasing dynamics depends respectively on the string length and membrane area---a consequence of an infrared divergence in the limit of an infinite-sized string or membrane. On the other hand, for a cavity mode locally coupled to a three-dimensional bulk elastic solid, the dephasing dynamics is independent of the solid volume (i.e., is infrared finite), but dependent on the local geometry of the coupled cavity---a consequence of an ultraviolet divergence in the limit of a ``pointlike'' coupled cavity. We consider as possible respective realizations for the cavity-coupled one- and two-dimensional acoustic environments an $LC$ oscillator capacitively coupled to a partially metalized strip and a cavity light mode interacting via light pressure with a membrane.
Source: Physical Review A
Authors: Qidong Xu, M. P. Blencowe
Institution: Dartmouth College
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: National Science Foundation
OpenAlex ID: W3201243168