Speaker: Aaron Markovitz, Caltech

Title: Closing the loop on optomechanical measurements

Abstract: Lasers enable sensing and control with enough precision for physics experiments like gravitational wave observatories, and enough robustness for consumer applications like cell phones. In experimental optomechanics, lasers can cause even macroscopic objects to behave quantum mechanically. We will describe why the quality factor, Q, of the damped harmonic oscillator is the critical parameter for optomechanical sensors. We can use Q to understand the two fundamental kinds of noise facing optomechanical systems, quantum noise and thermal noise. We also provide some examples of how sensors can be designed to amplify signal while rejecting noise.