Fondation Latsis Internationale Award 2012 - Schliesser Albert

"For the improvement of optomechanical cooling techniques, the discovery of optomechanically induced transparency and the demonstration of quantum coherent coupling of a micromechanical oscillator to an optical cavity mode."

Abstract: Optical interferometers measure minute displacements induced by the magnetic force of a single electron spin, and are poised to detect perturbations of space-time due to the motion of black holes many millions of light years away. It has been known for decades that optical forces—induced by the very light used for measurement—can substantially alter these ultrasensitive instruments’ performance. But they have long eluded experimental investigation. Using a model optomechanical system, combining an optical interferometer with a mechanical degree of freedom, we have systematically studied these forces and harnessed them for an array of unanticipated applications.

In particular, forces induced by laser light can suppress the random thermal agitation of the mechanical device. We developed sophisticated techniques for such laser cooling, enabling us to prepare a mechanical oscillator near its quantum ground state. With similar methods, we converted weak light pulses, containing only a few photons, to a mechanical excitation—and back. The resulting quantum-coherent optomechanical interface could enable cross-platform conversion of quantum information. Furthermore, we discovered surprisingly simple ways to employ optical forces for the manipulation of a light beam’s propagation by a second, “control” beam, exploiting an analogy to atomic physics phenomena that had long gone unnoticed.