Dynamical Backaction of Microwave Fields on a Nanomechanical Oscillator

J. D. Teufel, J. W. Harlow, C. A. Regal, K. W. Lehnert

Published 2008-07-23, updated 2008-11-06Version 3

We measure the response and thermal motion of a high-Q nanomechanical oscillator coupled to a superconducting microwave cavity in the resolved-sideband regime where the oscillator's resonance frequency exceeds the cavity's linewidth. The coupling between the microwave field and mechanical motion is strong enough for radiation pressure to overwhelm the intrinsic mechanical damping. This radiation-pressure damping cools the fundamental mechanical mode by a factor of 5 below the thermal equilibrium temperature in a dilution refrigerator to a phonon occupancy of 140 quanta.