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Journal ArticleDOI

Coherent phonon manipulation in coupled mechanical resonators

01 Aug 2013-Nature Physics (Nature Publishing Group)-Vol. 9, Iss: 8, pp 480-484
TL;DR: In this article, it was shown that phonons can be coherently transferred between two nanomechanical resonators, and the technique of controlling the coupling between nanoscale oscillators using a piezoelectric transducer is useful for manipulating classical oscillations, but if extended to the quantum regime it could also enable entanglement of macroscopic mechanical objects.
Abstract: It is now shown that phonons can be coherently transferred between two nanomechanical resonators, it is now shown. The technique of controlling the coupling between nanoscale oscillators using a piezoelectric transducer is useful for manipulating classical oscillations, but if extended to the quantum regime it could also enable entanglement of macroscopic mechanical objects.

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Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors demonstrated coherent control of two flexural modes of a nanoscale oscillator using radiofrequency signals, analogous to quantum two-level systems such as superconducting circuits and quantum dots, and therefore raised the possibility of information processing using nanomechanical resonators.
Abstract: Coherent control of two flexural modes of a nanoscale oscillator using radiofrequency signals is now demonstrated. This oscillator is analogous to quantum two-level systems such as superconducting circuits and quantum dots, and therefore this technique raises the possibility of information processing using nanomechanical resonators.

189 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors assess the state of the art of nanophononics, describing the recent achievements and the open challenges in nanoscale heat transport, coherent phonon generation and exploitation, and in nano- and optomechanics.
Abstract: Understanding and controlling vibrations in condensed matter is emerging as an essential necessity both at fundamental level and for the development of a broad variety of technological applications. Intelligent design of the band structure and transport properties of phonons at the nanoscale and of their interactions with electrons and photons impact the efficiency of nanoelectronic systems and thermoelectric materials, permit the exploration of quantum phenomena with micro- and nanoscale resonators, and provide new tools for spectroscopy and imaging. In this colloquium we assess the state of the art of nanophononics, describing the recent achievements and the open challenges in nanoscale heat transport, coherent phonon generation and exploitation, and in nano- and optomechanics. We also underline the links among the diverse communities involved in the study of nanoscale phonons, pointing out the common goals and opportunities.

178 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identify a characteristic system evolution consisting of periods of quasistationarity interrupted by abrupt nonadiabatic transitions and connect the problem to the phenomenon of stability loss delay.
Abstract: The appearance of so-called exceptional points in the complex spectra of non-Hermitian systems is often associated with phenomena that contradict our physical intuition. One example of particular interest is the state-exchange process predicted for an adiabatic encircling of an exceptional point. In this work we analyze this and related processes for the generic system of two coupled oscillator modes with loss or gain. We identify a characteristic system evolution consisting of periods of quasistationarity interrupted by abrupt nonadiabatic transitions and we present a qualitative and quantitative description of this switching behavior by connecting the problem to the phenomenon of stability loss delay. This approach makes accurate predictions for the breakdown of the adiabatic theorem as well as the occurrence of chiral behavior observed previously in this context and provides a general framework to model and understand quasiadiabatic dynamical effects in non-Hermitian systems.

173 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
13 Dec 2018-Nature
TL;DR: In this article, the experimental realization of topological nanoelectromechanical metamaterials, consisting of two-dimensional arrays of free-standing silicon nitride nanomembranes that operate at high frequencies (10-20 megahertz), was reported.
Abstract: Guiding waves through a stable physical channel is essential for reliable information transport. However, energy transport in high-frequency mechanical systems, such as in signal-processing applications, is particularly sensitive to defects and sharp turns because of back-scattering and losses. Topological phenomena in condensed matter systems have shown immunity to defects and unidirectional energy propagation. Topological mechanical metamaterials translate these properties into classical systems for efficient phononic energy transport. Acoustic and mechanical topological metamaterials have so far been realized only in large-scale systems, such as arrays of pendulums, gyroscopic lattices, structured plates and arrays of rods, cans and other structures acting as acoustic scatterers9. To fulfil their potential in device applications, mechanical topological systems need to be scaled to the on-chip level for high-frequency transport. Here we report the experimental realization of topological nanoelectromechanical metamaterials, consisting of two-dimensional arrays of free-standing silicon nitride nanomembranes that operate at high frequencies (10–20 megahertz). We experimentally demonstrate the presence of edge states, and characterize their localization and Dirac-cone-like frequency dispersion. Our topological waveguides are also robust to waveguide distortions and pseudospin-dependent transport. The on-chip integrated acoustic components realized here could be used in unidirectional waveguides and compact delay lines for high-frequency signal-processing applications.

170 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This work engineers a graphene resonator with large frequency tunability at low temperatures, resulting in a large intermodal coupling strength, and demonstrates that the dynamical inter modal coupling is tunable.
Abstract: Tension-induced tunable mode coupling in graphene drums enables coherent energy transfer between mechanical modes to realize strong coupling and amplification.

164 citations

References
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Book
01 Jan 2001
TL;DR: This work discusseschronization of complex dynamics by external forces, which involves synchronization of self-sustained oscillators and their phase, and its applications in oscillatory media and complex systems.
Abstract: Preface 1. Introduction Part I. Synchronization Without Formulae: 2. Basic notions: the self-sustained oscillator and its phase 3. Synchronization of a periodic oscillator by external force 4. Synchronization of two and many oscillators 5. Synchronization of chaotic systems 6. Detecting synchronization in experiments Part II. Phase Locking and Frequency Entrainment: 7. Synchronization of periodic oscillators by periodic external action 8. Mutual synchronization of two interacting periodic oscillators 9. Synchronization in the presence of noise 10. Phase synchronization of chaotic systems 11. Synchronization in oscillatory media 12. Populations of globally coupled oscillators Part III. Synchronization of Chaotic Systems: 13. Complete synchronization I: basic concepts 14. Complete synchronization II: generalizations and complex systems 15. Synchronization of complex dynamics by external forces Appendix 1. Discovery of synchronization by Christiaan Huygens Appendix 2. Instantaneous phase and frequency of a signal References Index.

6,438 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
06 Oct 2011-Nature
TL;DR: In this article, a coupled, nanoscale optical and mechanical resonator formed in a silicon microchip is used to cool the mechanical motion down to its quantum ground state (reaching an average phonon occupancy number of 0.85±0.08).
Abstract: The simple mechanical oscillator, canonically consisting of a coupled mass–spring system, is used in a wide variety of sensitive measurements, including the detection of weak forces and small masses. On the one hand, a classical oscillator has a well-defined amplitude of motion; a quantum oscillator, on the other hand, has a lowest-energy state, or ground state, with a finite-amplitude uncertainty corresponding to zero-point motion. On the macroscopic scale of our everyday experience, owing to interactions with its highly fluctuating thermal environment a mechanical oscillator is filled with many energy quanta and its quantum nature is all but hidden. Recently, in experiments performed at temperatures of a few hundredths of a kelvin, engineered nanomechanical resonators coupled to electrical circuits have been measured to be oscillating in their quantum ground state. These experiments, in addition to providing a glimpse into the underlying quantum behaviour of mesoscopic systems consisting of billions of atoms, represent the initial steps towards the use of mechanical devices as tools for quantum metrology or as a means of coupling hybrid quantum systems. Here we report the development of a coupled, nanoscale optical and mechanical resonator formed in a silicon microchip, in which radiation pressure from a laser is used to cool the mechanical motion down to its quantum ground state (reaching an average phonon occupancy number of 0.85±0.08). This cooling is realized at an environmental temperature of 20 K, roughly one thousand times larger than in previous experiments and paves the way for optical control of mesoscale mechanical oscillators in the quantum regime.

2,073 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Apr 2010-Nature
TL;DR: This work shows that conventional cryogenic refrigeration can be used to cool a mechanical mode to its quantum ground state by using a microwave-frequency mechanical oscillator—a ‘quantum drum’—coupled to a quantum bit, which is used to measure the quantum state of the resonator.
Abstract: Quantum mechanics provides a highly accurate description of a wide variety of physical systems. However, a demonstration that quantum mechanics applies equally to macroscopic mechanical systems has been a long-standing challenge, hindered by the difficulty of cooling a mechanical mode to its quantum ground state. The temperatures required are typically far below those attainable with standard cryogenic methods, so significant effort has been devoted to developing alternative cooling techniques. Once in the ground state, quantum-limited measurements must then be demonstrated. Here, using conventional cryogenic refrigeration, we show that we can cool a mechanical mode to its quantum ground state by using a microwave-frequency mechanical oscillator—a ‘quantum drum’—coupled to a quantum bit, which is used to measure the quantum state of the resonator. We further show that we can controllably create single quantum excitations (phonons) in the resonator, thus taking the first steps to complete quantum control of a mechanical system. The bizarre, often counter-intuitive predictions of quantum mechanics have been observed in atomic-scale optical and electrical systems, but efforts to demonstrate that quantum mechanics applies equally to a mechanical system, especially one large enough to be seen with the naked eye, have proved challenging. The difficulty is cooling a mechanical system to its quantum ground state, where all classical noise is eliminated. A team at the Department of Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has overcome this obstacle. Using conventional cryogenic refrigeration, they cool a mechanical resonator with a very high oscillation frequency to one-fortieth of a degree above absolute zero. This resonator, called a 'quantum drum', is coupled to a superconducting quantum bit that acts as a quantum thermometer to detect whether there are any excitations left in the resonator. When it is confirmed there are none, it is further shown that a single quantum of excitation, a phonon, can be introduced in this system and exchanged between resonator and qubit many times, thereby taking the first steps towards complete quantum control of a mechanical system. Quantum mechanics provides an accurate description of a wide variety of physical systems but it is very challenging to prove that it also applies to macroscopic (classical) mechanical systems. This is because it has been impossible to cool a mechanical mode to its quantum ground state, in which all classical noise is eliminated. Recently, various mechanical devices have been cooled to a near-ground state, but this paper demonstrates the milestone result of a piezoelectric resonator with a mechanical mode cooled to its quantum ground state.

1,800 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
29 Apr 2011-Science
TL;DR: A new optical frequency comb generation principle has emerged that uses parametric frequency conversion in high resonance quality factor (Q) microresonators, permitting an increased number of comb applications, such as in astronomy, microwave photonics, or telecommunications.
Abstract: The series of precisely spaced, sharp spectral lines that form an optical frequency comb is enabling unprecedented measurement capabilities and new applications in a wide range of topics that include precision spectroscopy, atomic clocks, ultracold gases, and molecular fingerprinting. A new optical frequency comb generation principle has emerged that uses parametric frequency conversion in high resonance quality factor (Q) microresonators. This approach provides access to high repetition rates in the range of 10 to 1000 gigahertz through compact, chip-scale integration, permitting an increased number of comb applications, such as in astronomy, microwave photonics, or telecommunications. We review this emerging area and discuss opportunities that it presents for novel technologies as well as for fundamental science.

1,660 citations