From Cavity Electromechanics to Cavity Optomechanics

C. A. Regal, K. W. Lehnert

Published 2010-10-19Version 1

We present an overview of experimental work to embed high-Q mesoscopic mechanical oscillators in microwave and optical cavities. Based upon recent progress, the prospect for a broad field of "cavity quantum mechanics" is very real. These systems introduce mesoscopic mechanical oscillators as a new quantum resource and also inherently couple their motion to photons throughout the electromagnetic spectrum.