Radiation Pressure Induced Oscillations of an Optically Levitating Mirror

Abstract

Optical Fabry-Perot cavity with a movable mirror is a paradigmatic optomechanical systems. While usually the mirror is supported by a mechanical spring, it has been shown that it is possible to keep one of the mirrors in a stable equilibrium purely by optical levitation without any mechanical support. In this work we expand previous studies of nonlinear dynamics of such a system by demonstrating a possibility for mechanical parametric instability and emergence of the ``phonon laser'' phenomenon.