Theory of noiseless phase-mixing amplification in a cavity optomechanical system

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new phase-mixing amplification regime in a cavity optomechanical system, capable of surpassing quantum limits and operating as a phase-sensitive amplifier under experimentally feasible conditions.

Contribution

It proposes a novel optomechanical amplifier setup that achieves phase-mixing amplification and phase-sensitive amplification with quantum-limited performance.

Findings

Operates below the standard quantum limit in certain parameter ranges

Introduces a new phase-mixing amplification regime

Compatible with current microwave circuit optomechanics experiments

Abstract

The investigation of the ultimate limits imposed by quantum mechanics on amplification represents an important topic both on a fundamental level and from the perspective of potential applications. We propose here a novel setup for an optomechanical amplifier, constituted by a mechanical resonator dispersively coupled to an optomechanical cavity asymmetrically driven around both mechanical sidebands. We show that, on general grounds, the present amplifier operates in a novel regime-- which we here call phase-mixing amplification. At the same time, for a suitable choice of parameters, the amplifier proposed here operates as a phase-sensitive amplifier. Furthermore, we show that both configurations allow amplification below the standard quantum limit in a parameter range compatible with current experiments in microwave circuit optomechanics.