Enhanced force sensitivity and entanglement in periodically driven optomechanics

TL;DR

This paper introduces periodic modulation protocols in optomechanical systems that generate significant mechanical squeezing, improving force measurement sensitivity and entanglement generation, with energy-efficient and noise-resilient features across various physical setups.

Contribution

The paper presents novel periodic modulation techniques that enhance mechanical squeezing, force sensing, and entanglement in optomechanics, applicable to diverse physical systems.

Findings

Large mechanical squeezing achieved with realistic parameters.

Enhanced measurement precision for weak forces.

Improved entanglement robustness and energy efficiency.

Abstract

Squeezing is a resource that enables precision enhancements in quantum metrology and can be used as a basis for the generation of entanglement by linear optics. While strong squeezing is challenging to generate in optical fields, here we present simple periodic modulation protocols in optomechanical systems that can generate large squeezing of their mechanical degrees of freedom for realistic system parameters. We then proceed to show how such protocols can serve to improve the measurement precision of weak forces and enhance the generation of entanglement between test masses that are subject to any kind of weak interaction. Moreover, these protocols can be reverted to reduce the amount of injected energy, while preserving the generated entanglement and making it more resilient to noise. We present the principle at work, discuss its application in a variety of physical settings, including levitated and tethered mechanical harmonic oscillators, and present example applications to Casimir and gravitational forces.