Exploiting non-linear effects in optomechanical sensors with continuous photon-counting

TL;DR

This paper explores how non-linear effects in optomechanical systems, combined with photon-counting detection and Bayesian inference, can significantly improve the performance of quantum sensors in real time.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to enhance optomechanical sensors by leveraging non-linear interactions and photon-counting, supported by simulations and Bayesian inference.

Findings

Non-classical photon correlations improve sensor sensitivity.

Bayesian inference enables real-time performance enhancement.

Non-linear effects can be exploited for advanced quantum sensing.

Abstract

Optomechanical systems are rapidly becoming one of the most promising platforms for observing quantum behaviour, especially at the macroscopic level. Moreover, thanks to their state-of-the-art methods of fabrication, they may now enter regimes of non-linear interactions between their constituent mechanical and optical degrees of freedom. In this work, we show how this novel opportunity may serve to construct a new generation of optomechanical sensors. We consider the canonical optomechanical setup with the detection scheme being based on time-resolved counting of photons leaking from the cavity. By performing simulations and resorting to Bayesian inference, we demonstrate that the non-classical correlations of the detected photons may crucially enhance the sensor performance in real time. We believe that our work may stimulate a new direction in the design of such devices, while our methods apply also to other platforms exploiting non-linear light-matter interactions and photon detection.