Nonlinear mechanics with photonic crystal nanomembranes

Abstract

Optomechanical systems close to their quantum ground state and nonlinear nanoelectromechanical systems are two hot topics of current physics research. As high-reflectivity and low mass are crucial features to improve optomechanical coupling towards the ground state, we have designed, fabricated and characterized photonic crystal nanomembranes, at the crossroad of both topics. Here we demonstrate a number of nonlinear effects with these membranes. We first characterize the nonlinear behavior of a single mechanical mode and we demonstrate its nonlocal character by monitoring the subsequent actuation-related frequency shift of a different mode. We then proceed to study the underlying nonlinear dynamics, both by monitoring the phase-space trajectory of the free resonator and by characterizing the mechanical response in presence of a strong pump excitation. We observe in particular the frequency evolution during a ring-down oscillation decay, and the emergence of a phase conjugate mechanical response to a weaker probe actuation. Our results are crucial to understand the full nonlinear features of the PhC membranes, and possibly to look for nonlinear signatures of the quantum dynamics.

References in corpus (10)

• Laser cooling of a nanomechanical oscillator into its quantum ground state
• Sideband Cooling Micromechanical Motion to the Quantum Ground State
• Optomechanically induced transparency
• Dynamic manipulation of mechanical resonators in the high amplitude regime through optical backaction
• Nonlinear modal interactions in clamped-clamped mechanical resonators
• Minimization of phonon-tunneling dissipation in mechanical resonators
• Basins of attraction of a nonlinear nanomechanical resonator
• Classical to Quantum Transition of a Driven Nonlinear Nanomechanical Resonator
• Deformable two-dimensional photonic crystal slab for cavity optomechanics
• Interactions between directly and parametrically driven vibration modes in a micromechanical resonator

Cited by in corpus (16)

• Mesoscopic physics of nanomechanical systems
• Spectral Evidence of Squeezing of a Weakly Damped Driven Nanomechanical Mode
• Observation of decoherence in a carbon nanotube mechanical resonator
• Spatial modulation of nonlinear flexural vibrations of membrane resonators
• From membrane-in-the-middle to mirror-in-the-middle with a high-reflectivity sub-wavelength grating
• Soft-clamped phononic dimers for mechanical sensing and transduction
• Modelling and observation of nonlinear damping in dissipation-diluted nanomechanical resonators
• Persistent response in ultra-strongly driven mechanical membrane resonators
• Quadrature squeezing enhances Wigner negativity in a mechanical Duffing oscillator
• Amplification and spectral evidence of squeezing in the response of a strongly driven nanoresonator to a probe field
• Hamiltonian reconstruction via ringdown dynamics
• Devil's Staircase in an Optomechanical Cavity
• Two-level system as topological actuator for nanomechanical modes
• Stress-controlled frequency tuning and parametric amplification of the vibrations of coupled nanomembranes
• Slow and fast topological dynamical phase transitions in a Duffing resonator driven by two detuned tones
• Beating ringdowns of near-degenerate mechanical resonances