Optically Defined Mechanical Geometry

Abstract

In the field of optomechanics, radiation forces have provided a particularly high level of control over the frequency and dissipation of mechanical elements. Here we propose a class of optomechanical systems in which light exerts a similarly profound influence over two other fundamental parameters: geometry and mass. By applying an optical trap to one lattice site of an extended phononic crystal, we show it is possible to create a tunable, localized mechanical mode. Owing to light's simultaneous and constructive coupling with the structure's continuum of modes, we estimate that a trap power at the level of a single intracavity photon should be capable of producing a significant effect within a realistic, chip-scale device.

6 pages, 2 figures

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Cited by in corpus (6)

• Ultra-coherent nanomechanical resonators via soft clamping and dissipation dilution
• Analysis of membrane phononic crystals with wide bandgaps and low-mass defects
• Flexure-Tuned Membrane-at-the-Edge Optomechanical System
• Polarimetric analysis of stress anisotropy in nanomechanical silicon nitride resonators
• Thermal transport and frequency response of localized modes on low-stress nanomechanical silicon nitride drums featuring a phononic bandgap structure
• Asymmetry-Based Quantum Backaction Suppression in Quadratic Optomechanics