Realization of an Optomechanical Interface Between Ultracold Atoms and a Membrane

TLDR

Atoms are trapped in an optical lattice created by retro‑reflecting a laser off the membrane, enabling optomechanical coupling between membrane vibrations and atomic center‑of‑mass motion. The hybrid system couples ultracold atoms to a micromechanical membrane, demonstrating mutual back‑action, engineered membrane dissipation, and quantitative agreement with a simple model.

Abstract

We have realized a hybrid optomechanical system by coupling ultracold atoms to a micromechanical membrane. The atoms are trapped in an optical lattice, which is formed by retro-reflection of a laser beam from the membrane surface. In this setup, the lattice laser light mediates an optomechanical coupling between membrane vibrations and atomic center-of-mass motion. We observe both the effect of the membrane vibrations onto the atoms as well as the backaction of the atomic motion onto the membrane. By coupling the membrane to laser-cooled atoms, we engineer the dissipation rate of the membrane. Our observations agree quantitatively with a simple model.