Radiation-pressure-mediated control of an optomechanical cavity

• Main Authors: Cripe, Jonathan (Author), Singh, Robinjeet (Author), Libson, Adam (Author), Yap, Min Jet (Author), Cole, Garrett D. (Author), McClelland, David E. (Author), Corbitt, Thomas (Author), Aggarwal, Nancy (Contributor), Lanza Jr, Robert K (Contributor), Libson, Adam A. (Contributor), Mavalvala, Nergis (Contributor)
• Other Authors: Lincoln Laboratory (Contributor), Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics (Contributor), MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research (Contributor), LIGO (Observatory : Massachusetts Institute of Technology) (Contributor)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Physical Society, 2018-04-03T20:06:21Z.
• Subjects: Article
• Online Access: Get fulltext

 We describe and demonstrate a method to control a detuned movable-mirror Fabry-Pérot cavity using radiation pressure in the presence of a strong optical spring. At frequencies below the optical spring resonance, self-locking of the cavity is achieved intrinsically by the optomechanical (OM) interaction between the cavity field and the movable end mirror. The OM interaction results in a high rigidity and reduced susceptibility of the mirror to external forces. However, due to a finite delay time in the cavity, this enhanced rigidity is accompanied by an antidamping force, which destabilizes the cavity. The cavity is stabilized by applying external feedback in a frequency band around the optical spring resonance. The error signal is sensed in the amplitude quadrature of the transmitted beam with a photodetector. An amplitude modulator in the input path to the cavity modulates the light intensity to provide the stabilizing radiation pressure force.