Optomechanics with Zero Residual Backaction Heating

Optomechanical resolved sideband cooling is a standard technique for quantum control of mechanical motion, but its ultimate performance is curtailed by quantum backaction heating. This fundamental effect imposes a finite limit on the minimum achievable mechanical phonon number, setting a finite-temperature floor, independent of cooling strength.

In my talk, I will present a generalized semi-classical approach that constitutes a universal Hamiltonian framework for optomechanical cooling and use it to analyze the advantage of employing a non-linear driving scheme. Our analysis reveals that this scheme effectively eliminates the residual heating backaction, leading to a drastic reduction in the minimal phonon number. By successfully overcoming the finite-temperature floor that limits conventional schemes, our method paves the way for unprecedented control over quantum mechanical systems.