Welcome to the Quantum Optomechanics Lab at the University of Arizona. We couple nano-mechanical resonators and optical cavities to investigate various aspects of quantum physics at the macroscale. Questions we explore include: Can a solid state object be cooled to its ground state using radiation pressure? What are the signatures of the uncertainty principle in an interferometric measurement? Can a light field be squeezed by reflecting it from a mirror? Answers to these questions yield insights into the possibility of a new generation of optomechanical quantum technologies, such as squeezing-enhanced force sensors. Along similar lines, we are interested in using optomechanical systems as precision measurement tools, accessing fundamental physics such as non-Newtonian gravity and ultralight dark matter.

News and events

May 2024 -- We look forward to moving into brand-new labs in the Grand Challenges Research Building!
March 2024 -- Atkin breaks our lab's record for highest Q recorded on a mechanical resonator. Go Atkin!!!!
August 2023 -- Atkin Hyatt officially beings the Ph.D. program!
Spring 2023 -- Daniel Allepuz Requena visits from DTU to collaborate on our photonic crystal metamirror project, and Morgan takes over maintenance for the group website. She takes credit for the abundance of exclamation points hereafter. (!!!)
February 2023 -- Morgan Choi joins the group halfway into her first year of the Ph.D. program.
July 2022 -- Jack Manley joins the group as a postdoc to work on our dark matter search projects.
Summer 2022 -- Atkin Hyatt (May) and Andrew Land (September) join the group as undergraduate researchers. (Summer is defined as anytime the weather is consistently above 90 degrees).
August 24, 2020 -- Aman Agrawal and Charles Condos officially begin the Ph.D. program at the College of Optical Sciences.
August 11, 2020 -- NSF ECCS-1945832 "QOMA" (Quantum-Enhanced Optomechanical Accelerometers) is awarded. Many thanks to Co-PI Felipe Guzman!
August 9, 2020 -- "Towards cavity-free ground state cooling of an acoustic-frequency silicon nitride membrane" is chosen for an OSA Spotlight on Optics. Thanks to Nils Engelson for the nice spotlight article.
July 22, 2020 -- TOM (trampoline-on-a-membrane) is born. Aman: "My heart was pounding during the drying step but somehow trampoline survived the violent evaporation of methanol."
July 9, 2020 -- Arxiv submission "Searching for vector dark matter with an optomechanical accelerometer." Kudos to Jack and Mitul for their hard work. (Thanks to Swati for her patience.)
May 18, 2020 -- Charles Condos joins the group. Due to COVID restrictions, he gets his own lab.