Laser noise in cavity-optomechanical cooling and thermometry

TL;DR

This paper reviews the impact of quantum and classical laser noise on cavity-optomechanical cooling and thermometry, analyzing recent experiments that achieved ground-state cooling and motional sideband asymmetry in nanoscale resonators.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive theoretical analysis of laser noise effects in cavity-optomechanical experiments reaching the quantum regime, including new insights into noise squashing and spectral modifications.

Findings

Laser noise contributes to heating of mechanical resonators.

Quantum and classical noise affect the mechanical spectra and measurement accuracy.

Theoretical models match experimental observations of ground-state cooling.

Abstract

We review and study the roles of quantum and classical fluctuations in recent cavity-optomechanical experiments which have now reached the quantum regime (mechanical phonon occupancy < 1) using resolved sideband laser cooling. In particular, both the laser noise heating of the mechanical resonator and the form of the optically transduced mechanical spectra, modified by quantum and classical laser noise squashing, are derived under various measurement conditions. Using this theory, we analyze our recent ground-state laser cooling and motional sideband asymmetry experiments with nanoscale optomechanical crystal resonators.