Thomas Corbitt
MIT
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
2:00 pm in SPL 52
Radiation pressure in suspended cavities with gram mirrors
Abstract: Radiation pressure is beginning to play a dominant role in a variety of experiments, from gravitational-wave detectors to nanomechanical systems. I will discuss a series of experiments being performed to explore radiation pressure effects on a 1 gram mirror. The key features to be exploited in these experiments are a radical change in the mechanical dynamics of the mirror, quantum behavior of the light, and ultimately quantum behavior of the mirror itself.