DARPA’s ORCHID Grant for Advanced Optomechanical Devices

Original Synopsis Below.

DARPA is soliciting innovative research and development (R&D) proposals in the area of cavity-optomechanics. While mechanical properties of light have long been understood, the idea that light can be used to effectively damp the motion of a macroscopic object is quite new. The ORCHID program is focused on exploiting optomechanical interactions between high-Q optical cavities coupled with high-Q mechanical resonators to damp or amplify the motion of macroscopic mechanical devices. In this context, damping does not lower the bulk temperature of a device; instead it affects only a few of the device’s vibrational modes. However, it is these same vibrational modes that can perform transduction in mechanical sensors. As a result, this type of damping can be used to control (in situ) the dynamic range and bandwidths of mechanical sensors and to remove constraints imposed by thermal noise. When optomechanical damping (cooling) is strong enough to remove phonons from the relevant modes, the quantum mechanical properties of the device are expected to become manifest, enabling entirely new sensing and signal processing functionality. By contrast, when phonon energy is transferred from the optical cavity to the mechanical oscillator, its motion can be amplified. Thus, another aspect of the ORCHID program focuses on the development of high frequency regenerative optomechanical oscillators. These oscillators are expected to exhibit reduced linewidth and phase noise. They will be unique in the world of oscillators, as they will feature purely optical input and output for both power and signal. All administrative correspondence and questions on this solicitation, including requests for information on how to submit a proposal abstract or full proposal to this BAA, should be directed to one of the administrative addresses below; e-mail or fax is preferred. (electronic mail: DARPA-BAA-09-26@darpa.mil , fax: 703-496-2069, DARPA/MTO.) See the full BAA document attached.

Original Synopsis Below.

DARPA is soliciting innovative research and development (R&D) proposals in the area of cavity-optomechanics. While mechanical properties of light have long been understood, the idea that light can be used to effectively damp the motion of a macroscopic object is quite new. The ORCHID program is focused on exploiting optomechanical interactions between high-Q optical cavities coupled with high-Q mechanical resonators to damp or amplify the motion of macroscopic mechanical devices. In this context, damping does not lower the bulk temperature of a device; instead it affects only a few of the device’s vibrational modes. However, it is these same vibrational modes that can perform transduction in mechanical sensors. As a result, this type of damping can be used to control (in situ) the dynamic range and bandwidths of mechanical sensors and to remove constraints imposed by thermal noise. When optomechanical damping (cooling) is strong enough to remove phonons from the relevant modes, the quantum mechanical properties of the device are expected to become manifest, enabling entirely new sensing and signal processing functionality. By contrast, when phonon energy is transferred from the optical cavity to the mechanical oscillator, its motion can be amplified. Thus, another aspect of the ORCHID program focuses on the development of high frequency regenerative optomechanical oscillators. These oscillators are expected to exhibit reduced linewidth and phase noise. They will be unique in the world of oscillators, as they will feature purely optical input and output for both power and signal. All administrative correspondence and questions on this solicitation, including requests for information on how to submit a proposal abstract or full proposal to this BAA, should be directed to one of the administrative addresses below; e-mail or fax is preferred. (electronic mail: DARPA-BAA-09-26@darpa.mil , fax: 703-496-2069, DARPA/MTO.) See the full BAA document attached.