- H Ramp
- B D Hauer
- K C Balram
- T J Clark
- K Srinivasan
- J P Davis
| Original language | English |
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| Number of pages | 5 |
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| Journal | Physical Review Letters |
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| Volume | 123 |
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| Issue number | 9 |
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| DOIs | |
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| Date | Accepted/In press - 6 Aug 2019 |
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| Date | Published (current) - 30 Aug 2019 |
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Mechanical modes are a potentially useful resource for quantum information applications, such as quantum-level wavelength transducers, due to their ability to interact with electromagnetic radiation across the spectrum. A significant challenge for wavelength transducers is thermomechanical noise in the mechanical mode, which pollutes the transduced signal with thermal states. In this Letter, we eliminate thermomechanical noise in the GHz-frequency mechanical breathing mode of a piezoelectric optomechanical crystal using cryogenic cooling in a dilution refrigerator. We optically measure an average thermal occupancy of the mechanical mode of only 0.7 0.4 phonons, providing a path towards low-noise
microwave-to-optical conversion in the quantum regime.
