Topological phonon transport in an optomechanical system.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 35715403.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-022-30941-0 and PMC identifier 9205990.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Light is a powerful tool for controlling mechanical motion, as shown by numerous applications in the field of cavity optomechanics. Recently, small scale optomechanical circuits, connecting a few optical and mechanical modes, have been demonstrated in an ongoing push towards multi-mode on-chip optomechanical systems. An ambitious goal driving this trend is to produce topologically protected phonon transport. Once realized, this will unlock the full toolbox of optomechanics for investigations of topological phononics. Here, we report the realization of topological phonon transport in an optomechanical device. Our experiment is based on an innovative multiscale optomechanical crystal design and allows for site-resolved measurements in an array of more than 800 cavities. The sensitivity inherent in our optomechanical read-out allowed us to detect thermal fluctuations traveling along topological edge channels. This represents a major step forward in an ongoing effort to downscale mechanical topological systems.