Quantum Noise Interference and Back-action Cooling in Cavity Nanomechanics

Abstract

We present a theoretical analysis of a novel cavity electromechanical system where a mechanical resonator directly modulates the damping rate kappa of a driven electromagnetic cavity. We show that via a destructive interference of quantum noise, the driven cavity can effectively act like a zero-temperature bath irrespective of the ratio kappa / omega_M, where omega_M is the mechanical frequency. This scheme thus allows one to cool the mechanical resonator to its ground state without requiring the cavity to be in the so-called `good cavity' limit kappa << omega_M.