Effective Photon-Photon Interactions in Largely Detuned Optomechanics

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method to generate effective photon-photon interactions in optomechanical systems using detuned lasers, enabling quantum state engineering without needing ground-state cooling of the mechanical oscillator.

Contribution

It demonstrates a novel approach to achieve photon-photon interactions that are robust against mechanical dissipation and thermal noise through detuning and quantum interference effects.

Findings

Photon-photon interactions can be realized via detuned driving lasers.

Mechanical dissipation effects are suppressed by large energy offsets.

The approach works without cooling the mechanical oscillator to the ground state.

Abstract

We propose to realize effective beam-splitter-like and two-mode-squeezing photon-photon interactions in a strong coupling optomechanical interface by exploiting detuned driving lasers. In this interface, the transitions between the optical system and the mechanical oscillator are suppressed by the large energy offsets, therefore protecting the photon-photon interactions from mechanical dissipations. Moreover, the destructive quantum interference between the eigenmodes of the interface is capable of further reducing the effects of initial mechanical thermal occupations. The interface can serve as a universal block for photon state engineering and hybrid quantum networks in high-temperature thermal bath and without the requirement of cooling the mechanical oscillator to the ground state.