Photonic Cavity Synchronization of Nanomechanical Oscillators

TLDR

Synchronization in oscillatory systems is a frequent natural phenomenon and is becoming an important concept in modern physics, and nanomechanical resonators—due to their controllable oscillation properties and engineerable nonlinearities—are ideal for studying it. The study demonstrates synchronization of two nanomechanical oscillators via a photonic resonator, enabling optomechanical coupling between mechanically isolated resonators. Optical backaction produces reactive and dissipative coupling that locks the resonators into coherent oscillation beyond the Kuramoto phase‑oscillator model, while also coupling their amplitudes and generating sidebands around the synchronized carrier. The resonators lock into coherent oscillation with dynamics beyond the Kuramoto model, and their amplitudes become coupled, producing sidebands around the synchronized carrier.

Abstract

Synchronization in oscillatory systems is a frequent natural phenomenon and is becoming an important concept in modern physics. Nanomechanical resonators are ideal systems for studying synchronization due to their controllable oscillation properties and engineerable nonlinearities. Here we demonstrate synchronization of two nanomechanical oscillators via a photonic resonator, enabling optomechanical synchronization between mechanically isolated nanomechanical resonators. Optical backaction gives rise to both reactive and dissipative coupling of the mechanical resonators, leading to coherent oscillation and mutual locking of resonators with dynamics beyond the widely accepted phase oscillator (Kuramoto) model. In addition to the phase difference between the oscillators, also their amplitudes are coupled, resulting in the emergence of sidebands around the synchronized carrier signal.