Photonic crystal split-beam nanocavities for torsional optomechanics

摘要

A novel type of photonic crystal nanocavity tailored to sensitively measure torques is theoretically investigated. Suspended low-mass elements (< pg) in the nanomechanical resonator are sensitive to environmental stimuli, such as a magnetic field from external sources or from embedded nanomagnetic systems. The torsional mechanical motion of these elements directly influences the optical field concentrated inside the optical nanocavity, resulting in a strong cavity optomechanical coupling rate up to 90 GHzm. The actuation of the mechanical resonator is readout with high sensitivity using evanescent coupling between the photonic crystal nanocavity and an optical fiber taper. A sub-100nm physical air gap in the middle of the nanobeam cavity allows torsional mechanical degrees of freedom as well as strong optical field confinement in a small mode volume. Numerical simulations show that high-Q ~ 106 optical cavities with a gap are possible. Potential applications incorporating these devices include sensitive magnetometry and probing the quantum properties of nanomagnetic systems.