Contact: marina.trad-nery[AT]oca.euLocation: Nice, France
This PhD project focuses on the fabrication and experimental demonstration of a mechanical oscillator whose motion is limited by the quantum radiation-pressure noise from a laser beam. The oscillator will consist of an ultra-light mirror, with a mass of approximately 100 mg, suspended as a microscopic pendulum by two fused-silica fibers thinner than a human hair.
The mirror will be integrated into a suspended optical cavity designed to enhance the quantum fluctuations of the laser field. The motion of the mirror will be measured with high precision using dedicated techniques. After demonstrating quantum-noise-limited motion, the system will serve as a platform to demonstrate novel methods for surpassing quantum noise limits in optical measurements. The PhD candidate will play an active role in the fabrication of the suspended mirror using the Artemis laboratory’s dedicated facilities.
This work includes pulling ultra-thin fused-silica fibers, welding them to a custom mirror substrate, and characterizing their mechanical losses. Initial fabrication results are expected to lead to a first publication. The second phase of the thesis will focus on assembling the suspended optical cavity, measuring the thermal-noise properties of the mirror, and optimizing the system for quantum-noise sensing experiments.
Throughout the project, the student will acquire strong experimental skills essential to modern precision physics, including optical alignment, cavity design and control, laser frequency stabilization, feedback electronics, vacuum technology, quantum-noise modeling, and low-noise detection techniques. The outcomes of this research are directly relevant to high-precision measurement technologies, including next-generation gravitational-wave detectors and the generation of strong bright squeezed light.
The student will be based at the Artemis laboratory of the Observatoire de la Cote d’Azur, located at the Mont-Gros site in Nice, France. He/She will work within the Lasers and Cavities group and benefit from close supervision by permanent researchers, as well as support in mechanics and electronics. The candidate will join an internationally connected research environment, contribute to publications, present results at conferences, and participate in the Einstein Telescope collaboration.
More information can be found in: https://adum.fr/as/ed/voirproposition.pl?langue=&site=sfa&matricule_prop=70368
More information about our group: https://artemis.oca.eu/fr/rechercheartemis/lasers-and-cavities