We present a new micromechanical resonator designed for cavity optomechanics. We have used a micropillar geometry to obtain a high-frequency mechanical resonance with a low effective mass and a very high quality factor. We have coated a 60-μm diameter low-loss dielectric mirror on top of the pillar and are planning to use this micromirror as part of a high-finesse Fabry-Perot cavity, to laser cool the resonator down to its quantum ground state and to monitor its quantum position fluctuations by quantum-limited optical interferometry.
@article{arxiv.1107.3828,
title = {A micropillar for cavity optomechanics},
author = {A. G. Kuhn and M. Bahriz and O. Ducloux and C. Chartier and O. Le Traon and T. Briant and P. -F. Cohadon and A. Heidmann and C. Michel and L. Pinard and R. Flaminio},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1107.3828},
year = {2012}
}