Nanopillar metasurfaces uniting high optical reflectivity with ultracoherent nanomechanics

Mechanically compliant mirrors are key components in cavity optomechanics. However, the requirements to achieve the best optical and mechanical performance are usually in direct competition. A high reflectivity for tightly focused beams entails thick reflectors, whereas ultracoherent flexural nanomechanics necessitates thin membranes. We eliminate this trade-off by introducing high-refractive-index nanopillar metasurfaces on top of a thin membrane. We pattern a 50 micrometer-diameter array of nanopillars to form a photonic crystal. The flat band behavior of guided resonances in the photonic crystal enables a reflectivity of 99.82(1)% for a tightly focused beam of 7 micrometer waist. The combination of two guided resonances creates a 100 nanometer-wide high-reflectivity band around 1550 nanometer. Simultaneously, the nanopillar patterning realizes a density-modulated phononic crystal that isolates an ultracoherent localized mechanical mode with a $Q\cdot f$-product of $2\cdot 10^{14}$Hz. The demonstrated nanopillar metasurfaces enable lightweight mirrors for room-temperature quantum optomechanics and for use as levitated mirrors or lightsails.

Source: arXiv:2610.31452v1 - http://arxiv.org/abs/2610.31452v1 PDF: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2610.31452v1 Original Link: http://arxiv.org/abs/2610.31452v1