Weak value amplification of photon number operators in the optomechanical interaction

Abstract

An experimental proposal is presented in which dark port post-selection together with weak measurements are used to enlarge the radiation pressure effect of a single photon on a mechanical oscillator placed in the middle of a Fabry-Perot cavity and initialized in the ground state. By preparing and post-selecting the photon (the system) in two quasi orthogonal states, the weak value of the radiation force operator can lie outside the eigenvalue spectrum, producing a large shift on the wave function of the mechanical oscillator (the measuring device) in the position representation. Consequently, the effect of a single photon on the average position of the oscillator in its final state can be amplified as compared to the effect caused by a photon without post-selection, i.e. only pre-selected. The strong measurement scenario is also analyzed. In this case, a higher amplification effect is achieved and the mean position of the oscillator reaches the level of the zero-point fluctuation, but the back-action on the system is increased and the post-selection probabilities are smaller.