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11th Nov. 2010 
A light transistor based on photons and phonons
A novel method to control propagation of light with light has been theoretically predicted and experimentally measured by the K-lab. Based on the interaction of photons and phonons in a silica microcavity, this effect named "OptoMechanically Induced Transparency" (OMIT) opens new routes towards optical buffer or light storage.
Science Express
MPQ press release
See also: Journal Club for Condensed Matter
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| 21st May 2010
History of the laser milestones
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the invention of the laser, both Nature Magazine (Milestones) as well as Science Magazine have highlighted cavity optomechanics as being among the most developing research fields.
Science News Focus
Nature Milestones
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| April 2010
Otto Hahn Medal
Dr. Albert Schliesser, first graduate of K-Lab, has been awarded the Otto Hahn Medal 2009. Since 1978, this award is annually given to up to 40 young scientists by the Max Planck Society. It is supposed to encourage highly talented people to pursue a professional career at universities and institutes in the field of fundamental research.
MPQ Annoucement
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| Otto Hahn Medal |
Dr. Albert Schliesser |
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| October 2009
Cavity Optomechanics with nanomechanical oscillators
In collaboration with Prof. Kotthaus' group at LMU Munich We have realized a near-field cavity optomechanical system. We couple high-Q strained silicon nitride nanomechanical oscillators on an
ultra-high finesse microresonator via its evanescent near-field.
This approach allows measurements of nanomechanical motion with an
imprecision at the standard quantum-limit.
Moreover, we show that dynamical backaction purely due to radiation pressure
allows creating laser-like
oscillations of the nanomechanical oscillators.
The demonstrated platform extends cavity optomechanics to nanomechanical
oscillators, may impact techniques
such as single atom or single spin detection and provides a route to quantum
optomechanical experiments.
highlight in Nature Nanotechnology
Publication in Nature Physics
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| July 2009
Frequency comb assisted "on-the-fly" spectroscopy with a scanning diode laser
A novel spectroscopy scheme that enables accurate "on-the-fly" calibration of a sweeping diode laser using an optical frequency comb has been developed in our group. This scheme has been used to measure dispersion properties of microresonators for the first time.
News and Views by Thomas Schibli
Publication in Nature Photonics
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| June 2009
News & Views Highlight in Nature Physics
The work on the resolved sideband cooling and measurement of a mechanical close to the Heisenberg uncertainty limit has been highlighted
in Nature Physics, for its accomplishment in very low occupancy combining optical laser cooling and cryogenic cooling.
Optomechanics: Photons refrigerating phonons, Andrew Cleland
Publication
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| June 2009
Maiman Award of the OSA for Ultra-Low Dissipation Microresonators
The Maiman Outstanding Student Award of the Optical Society of America has been awarded to Georg Anetsberger for the
work on ultra-low dissipation micromechanical resonators, selected at the 2009 edition of the CLEO/IQEC conference out of 920 student
applications.
Link
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| Announcement July 2009
Heraeus Seminar on "Quantum Optics of Nano- and Micromechanical Systems
On July 19- 22 the 438. Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Seminar, organized by
Tobias Kippenberg, Markus Aspelmeyer, and Florian Marquardt will take place
in Bad Honeff. It will include invited presentations from leading groups in
the emerging field of cavity optomechanics.
Link
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| May 2009
Fresnel Prize for Cavity OptoMechanics
The European Physical Society has announced it 2009 winners of its young researcher Prizes in Quantum Electronics and Optics. These prizes are awarded only once every two years, and recognize the highest level of excellence amongst emerging researchers. For the cumulative results in t he field of cavity optomechanics, Tobias J. Kippenberg has received the Fresnel Award for fundamental research. The awards will be presented in a Ceremony on Tuesday June 16th during the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO) Europe, held during the World of Photonics Congress in Munich, Germany.
MPQ press release
More information
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| April 2009
Helmholtz Price for Microresonator-Based Frequency Comb Generators
The most recognized european price in the field of metrology has been awarded to the novel method of frequency comb generation in monolithic microresonators developed in our working group. The official awards ceremony will take place during the Hermann-von-Helmholtz symposium on June 23rd, 2009 in Berlin.
Official press release
More information
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| December 2008
Parametric Normal-Mode Splitting in Cavity Optomechanics (Physical Review Letters)
We demonstrate, that normal-mode splitting can occur in dynamic
backaction cooling in the strong cooling regime. The splitting is
associated to a mixing between the mechanical mode and the fluctuation
around the steady state of the resonator field. Furthermore it entails a
classical limitation of the cooling rate trough the cavity lifetime.
[Phys. Rev. Letters 101, 263602]
"Parametric Normal-Mode Splitting in Cavity Optomechanics"
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| September 2008
Ultralow-dissipation optomechanical resonators on a chip (Nature Photonics)
We have been able to fully explain the mechanical properties of toroid
microcavities. This enabled us to devise novel
monolithic on-chip resonators which for the first time combine ultra-high
optical finesse with unprecedented mechanical
quality factors. This development represents an important step in
understanding mechanical dissipation and is an
essential ingredient towards observing quantum effects in mesoscopic
mechanical oscillators.
[Nature Photonics 2, 627]
"Ultralow-dissipation optomechanical resonators on a chip"
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| July 2008
Full stabilization of a microresonator-based frequency comb (Physical Review Letters)
The first fully stabilized frequency comb generated in a monolithic microcavity has been demonstrated in our research group. The ability to stabilize the phase of microcavity frequency combs is the key step towards many applications in the fields of high-resolution spectroscopy and metrology. Moreover, we present larger scale fused silica "milli-toroids", generating combs with decreased repetition rates below 100 GHz that are amenable to direct detection with fast photodiodes.
[Phys. Rev. Lett 101, 053903]
"Full stabilization of a microresonator-based frequency comb"
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July 2008
EU funded Postdoctoral Scholar / PhD Position Available
We are currently searching for motivated and talented Postdoctoral Scholars and/or PhD student(s)
from around the world to join our Laboratory on any of the existing three projects, which span the emerging field of Cavity Quantum Optomechanics,
and the projects related to Monolithic Frequency Combs Generation and Label-Free Single Molecule Recognition. Micro-fabrication experience is
advantageous but not a necessity..
[more] [see advertisement]
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| April 2008
Resolved-sideband cooling of a micromechanical oscillator (Nature Physics)
We have been able to demonstrate for the first time that
resolved-sideband cooling can be applied to mesoscopic mechanical
oscillators. The availability and performance of this technique
represents a major step towards the long-sought goal of ground-state
cooling of oscillators consisting of trillions of molecules, as it has
already been successfully applied to cool single atomic oscillators held
in electromagnetic trap to the motional ground state.
[more]
"Resolved-sideband cooling of a micromechanical oscillator"
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| December 2007
Frequency Comb Generation in Microcavities (Nature)
A novel method of frequency comb generation in monolithic silica microcavities has been
demonstrated in our research group for the first time. The comb is induced by four-wave mixing and the equidistance of the comb lines has
been proved with extremely high precision down to a relative level of 10-18.
[more]
"Optical frequency comb generation from a monolithic microresonator"
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October 2007
Nanoday of the LMU Munich
The MPQ K-lab participated at the "Nanoday" of the DFG funded "Nanoscience
Inititiative Munich" at the LMU University on Saturday October 13th. The
well attended meeting spanned a diverse range of topics covering Nanoscience
in the broadest sense and provided the public and researchers a way of
interaction.
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September 2007
Optical Society of America Award
Pascal Del'Haye was rewarded as "Best of Topical Meeting" participant by the
Optical Society of America at the Frontiers in Optics Meeting in San Jose,
USA, for his talk at the Non-Linear Optics Conference in Kuna, USA, entitled
"Optical Frequency Comb Generation from a Monolithic Microresonator via the
Kerr Non-Linearity".
[more]
[certificate]
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September 2007
Quantum Theory of Radiation Pressure Cooling (Physical Review Letters)
A central question which has arised recently in the field of optomechanical cooling is if back-action
cooling can be used to cool a mechanical oscillator to the ground state. We have successfully addressed this question and formulated a
quantum theory of radiation pressure self cooling - jointly with the W. Zwerger group - , showing that ground state cooling is only
possible, provided the mechanical frequency is larger than the cavity linewidth - analogous to resolved sideband cooling of ions -
"Theory of Ground State Cooling of a Mechanical Oscillator Using Dynamical Backaction"
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September
2007 Group
Retreat of Laser Spectroscopy Division
The Research Group was honoured to participate and to present its latest results in the Annual Retreat
of the Division of Laser Spectroscopy of Prof. Hänsch in Castle Ringberg at the Tegernsee.
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December 2006
Demonstration of Radiation Pressure Cooling (Physical Review Letters)
We have demonstrated cooling of a micromechanical resonance of 58 MHz from 300 K to 11 K using radiation
pressure. The observed cooling is a manifestation of the effect of dynamical backaction, which occurs when the photon lifetime is comparable to the
mechanical oscillation period. Extending this method to cryogenic temperatures, might enable reach yet lower temperatures...
[more] [PRL cover]
"Radiation Pressure Cooling of a Micromechanical Oscillator Using Dynamical Backaction"
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October
2006 Strong
Coupling using Toroidal Microcavities Demonstrated by Caltech (Nature)
The Quantum Optics group of Jeff Kimble and the group
of Kerry Vahala at the California Institute of Technology
have been able to demonstrate strong coupling between
a Cs Atom and a monolithic microresonator for the first
time... [Nature,
2006] |
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September
2006 Group
Retreat of Laser Spectroscopy Division
The Research Group was honoured to participate in the Annual Retreat
of the Division of Laser Spectroscopy in Castle Ringberg at the Tegernsee.
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