Nonlinear optomechanical resonance entering a self-organized energy transfer pattern

TL;DR

This paper uncovers a unique nonlinear resonance in unresolved sideband optomechanical systems, leading to organized energy transfer, enhanced nonlinearity, and low-power optical frequency comb generation, broadening understanding of complex dynamical behaviors.

Contribution

It reveals a previously unknown nonlinear resonance mechanism that induces organized energy transfer and enables low-power optical frequency combs in unresolved sideband optomechanical systems.

Findings

Discovery of a special nonlinear resonance pattern

Enhanced nonlinearity near resonance allows low-power comb generation

Observation of complex dynamical behaviors outside the resonance condition

Abstract

The energy transfer between different subsystems or different vibration modes is always one of the most interested problems in the study of the resonance phenomena in coupled nonlinear dynamical systems. With an optomechanical system operating in the regime of unresolved sideband, where its mechanical frequency is lower than the cavity field damping rate, we illustrate the existence of a special nonlinear resonance phenomenon. This type of previously unknown resonance manifests an organized pattern of the coupled cavity field and mechanical oscillation, so that the cavity field precisely pushes the mechanical oscillator within an appropriate small time window in each mechanical oscillation period and the mechanical energy will increase by a jump of almost fixed amount after each oscillation cycle. The scenario is realized at a resonance point where the frequency difference of two driving fields matches the mechanical frequency of the system, and this condition of drive-frequency match is found to trigger a mechanism to lock the two subsystems of an unresolved-sideband optomechanical system into a highly ordered energy transfer as the above mentioned. Due to a significantly enhanced nonlinearity in the vicinity of the resonance point, optical frequency combs can be generated under pump powers of thousand times lower, as compared to the use of a single-tone driving field for the purpose. An unresolved sideband system under the drives without satisfying the resonance condition also demonstrates other interesting dynamical behaviors. Most of all, by providing a realistic picture for the nonlinear optomechanical dynamics in unresolved sideband regime, our study points to a direction to observe novel dynamical phenomena and realize other applications with the systems of less technical restrictions.