Tunable optical second-order sideband effects in a parity-time symmetric optomechanical system

We theoretically investigate the optical second-order sideband generation(OSSG)in an optical parity-time(PT)symmetric system,which consists of a passive cavity trapping the atomic ensemble and an active cavity.Compared with the double-passive system,it is found that near the exceptional point(EP),the efficiency of the OSSG increases sharply not only for the blue probepump detuning resonant case but also for the red one.Using experimentally achievable parameters,we study the effect of the atomic ensemble on the efficiency of the OSSG in the PT-symmetric system.The numerical results show that the efficiency of the OSSG is 30%higher than that of the first-order sideband,which is realized easily by simultaneously modulating the atom-cavity coupling strength and detuning.Moreover,the efficiency of the OSSG can also be tuned effectively by the pump power,and the efficiency is robust when the pump power is strong enough.This study may have some guidance for modulating the nonlinear optical properties and controlling light propagation,which may stimulate further applications in optical communications.

Quantum coherence transfer between an optical cavity and mechanical resonators

This study highlights the theoretical investigation of quantum coherence in mechanical oscillators and its transfer between the cavity and mechanical modes of an optomechanical system comprising an optical cavity and two mechanical oscillators that,in this study,were simultaneously coupled to the optical cavity at different optomechanical coupling strengths.The quantum coherence transfer between the optical and mechanical modes is found to depend strongly on the relative magnitude of the two optomechanical couplings.The laser power,decay rates of the cavity and mechanical oscillators,environmental temperature,and frequency of the mechanical oscillator are observed to significantly influence the investigated quantum coherences.Moreover,quantum coherence generation in the optomechanical system is restricted by the system's stability condition,which helps sustain high and stable quantum coherence in the optomechanical system.

Optomechanical ratchet resonators

We describe an optomechanical ratchet scheme to realize nonreciprocal transmission of a light field, which is based on the bias of the optical cavity’s frequency spectrum caused by mechanical ratchet interactions. This approach to break the time-reversal symmetry of light propagation is universally valid in various optomechanical systems with ratchet-oscillator structures. We discuss specifically the implementation of an on-chip Casimir-ratchet optomechanical protocol and demonstrate the optical nonreciprocity with an extremely high isolation ratio and flexible controllability, which does not require external additional optical engineering. Our study opens a door for manipulating flexibly light propagation by using mechanical ratchet resonators, and has potential applications in the on-chip integration of nonreciprocal devices and harness of lateral Casimir forces.