"Exploiting Mechanical Properties of Light: Photon-Supported Micromechanical Resonators, Quantum Vibrations, and Applications"

“利用光的机械特性：光子支持的微机械谐振器、量子振动和应用”

• 批准号: 418459-2012
• 负责人: Sankey, Jack
• 金额: $ 2.7万
• 依托单位: McGill University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2017-01-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=633105
• 关键词: Exploiting; Mechanical; Properties; Light; Photon

The central goal of my research program is to develop new types of sensitive micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) controlled by photons. I am particularly interested in realizing MEMS supported primarily by optical forces, thereby replacing traditional mechanical materials with light. Such devices should overcome the limitations of current MEMS materials and achieve an unprecedented level of mechanical coherence (e.g. ringing at 500 kHz for weeks when struck). As a result, they should be capable of achieving sub-zeptonewton force sensitivity, detecting the mass of a single proton, and exhibiting coherent quantum motion. The program initially comprises three major goals. The first is to realize optically-supported MEMS by applying strong optical traps to specially-fabricated mechanical elements, such that their dynamics are completely dominated by optical forces. The performance of these devices should surpass that of the best existing MEMS, and the trapping techniques will also enable fundamental studies of dissipation in traditional mechanical materials. The second goal is to develop compact, fibre optical microcavities in order to reduce the size of these systems and significantly enhance the photon-MEMS coupling. The resulting devices will allow us to access a substantially larger space of optomechanical parameters using a less cumbersome, fibre-based package. The third goal is to cryogenically cool these systems, suppressing thermal fluctuations sufficiently to observe highly coherent quantum effects in the the motion of solid mechanical elements. This cryogenic environment will also enable significantly more sensitive force and mass detection in the future. In the longer term, I envision using these optically-controlled MEMS to construct new types of scanned force detectors and photonic devices (potentially operating at the quantum limit), as well as to shuttle quantum information between qubits (either directly or remotely via photons in a fibre). This Discovery Grant will fund the core operating costs of the entire research program over the next five years.

我的研究项目的中心目标是开发由光子控制的新型敏感微机电系统（MEMS）。我对实现主要由光学力支持的 MEMS 特别感兴趣，从而用光取代传统的机械材料。此类设备应克服当前 MEMS 材料的局限性，并实现前所未有的机械相干性水平（例如，在受到撞击时可在 500 kHz 的频率下振铃数周）。因此，它们应该能够实现亚零牛顿力灵敏度，检测单个质子的质量，并表现出相干量子运动。该计划最初包括三个主要目标。第一个是通过将强光陷阱应用于特殊制造的机械元件来实现光学支持的 MEMS，使其动力学完全由光学力主导。这些器件的性能应该超越现有最好的 MEMS，并且捕获技术也将使传统机械材料耗散的基础研究成为可能。第二个目标是开发紧凑的光纤微腔，以减小这些系统的尺寸并显着增强光子-MEMS 耦合。由此产生的设备将使我们能够使用不太麻烦的基于光纤的封装来访问更大的光机械参数空间。第三个目标是低温冷却这些系统，充分抑制热波动，以观察固体机械元件运动中的高度相干量子效应。这种低温环境也将使未来的力和质量检测变得更加灵敏。从长远来看，我设想使用这些光控 MEMS 来构建新型扫描力探测器和光子器件（可能在量子极限下运行），以及在量子位之间传输量子信息（直接或通过光子远程传输）纤维）。这笔发现补助金将资助未来五年整个研究计划的核心运营成本。