Colloquium: cavity optomechanics

Monday 14 November 2011, 17:00
Ecole de Physique, Auditoire Stueckelberg
Université de Genève

Cavity optomechanics: controlling micro mechanical oscillators with laser light

Prof. Tobias Kippenberg
EPFL, Lausanne

Laser light can be used to cool and to control trapped ions, atoms and molecules at the quantum level. This has lead to spectacular advances such as the most precise atomic clocks. An outstanding frontier is the control with lasers of nano- and micro-mechancial systems. Recent advances in cavity optomechanics have allowed such elementary control for the first time, enabling mechanical systems to be ground state cooled leading to readout with quantum limited sensitivity and permitting to explore new device concepts resulting from radiation pressure.