Inducing micromechanical motion by optical excitation of a single quantum dot

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that a single quantum dot can induce micromechanical motion in a vibrating wire through resonant optical excitation, creating a strong, state-dependent force that surpasses radiation pressure.

Contribution

It introduces a method to drive a mechanical resonator using a single quantum dot via resonant optical excitation, reversing previous modulation effects.

Findings

The wire is set in motion by resonant QD excitation.

The driving force is nearly 1000 times larger than radiation pressure.

This state-dependent force enables quantum state mapping onto mechanics.

Abstract

Hybrid quantum optomechanical systems offer an interface between a single two-level system and a macroscopical mechanical degree of freedom. In this work, we build a hybrid system made of a vibrating microwire coupled to a single semiconductor quantum dot (QD) via material strain. It was shown a few years ago, that the QD excitonic transition energy can thus be modulated by the microwire motion. We demonstrate here the reverse effect, whereby the wire is set in motion by the resonant drive of a single QD exciton with a laser modulated at the mechanical frequency. The resulting driving force is found to be almost 3 orders of magnitude larger than radiation pressure. From a fundamental aspect, this state dependent force offers a convenient strategy to map the QD quantum state onto a mechanical degree of freedom.