Quantum and classical control of single photon states via a mechanical resonator
Abstract
Optomechanical systems typically use light to control the quantum state of a mechanical resonator. In this paper, we propose a scheme for controlling the quantum state of light using the mechanical degree of freedom as a controlled beam splitter. Preparing the mechanical resonator in non-classical states enables an optomechanical Stern-Gerlach interferometer. When the mechanical resonator has a small coherent amplitude it acts as a quantum control, entangling the optical and mechanical degrees of freedom. As the coherent amplitude of the resonator increases, we recover single photon and two-photon interference via a classically controlled beam splitter. The visibility of the two-photon interference is particularly sensitive to coherent excitations in the mechanical resonator and this could form the basis of an optically transduced weak-force sensor.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1603.08613,
title = {Quantum and classical control of single photon states via a mechanical resonator},
author = {Sahar Basiri-Esfahani and Casey R Myers and Joshua Combes and G. J. Milburn},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1603.08613},
year = {2016}
}
Comments
39 pages, 11 figures