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The Casimir force follows from quantum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field and yields a nonlinear attractive force between closely spaced conductive objects. Its magnitude depends on the conductivity of the objects up to optical frequencies. Measuring the Casimir force in superconductors should allow to isolate frequency-specific contributions to the Casimir effect, as frequencies below the superconducting gap energy are expected to contribute differently than those above it. There is significant interest in this contribution as it is suspected to contribute to an unexplained discrepancy between predictions and measurements of the Casimir force, which questions the basic principles on which estimates of the magnitude are based. Here, we observe the Casimir force between superconducting objects for the first time, through the nonlinear dynamics it imparts to a superconducting drum resonator in a microwave optomechanical system. There is excellent agreement between the experiment and the Casimir force magnitude computed for this device across three orders of magnitude of displacement. Furthermore, the Casimir nonlinearity is intense enough that, with a modified design, this device type should operate in the single-phonon nonlinear regime. Accessing this regime has been a long-standing goal that would greatly facilitate quantum operations of mechanical resonators., Comment: 6 pages main text (3 figures), 5 pages methods (5 figures), 12 pages supplementary information (16 figures)

Potential patches are responsible for a force between closely-spaced objects that forms a parasitic contribution to sensitive force measurements. Existing analytical models cannot account for the patch force in the 3D geometries of real experiments. Here, we present a finite-element method model to evaluate the impact of patches in arbitrary geometries. First, we test our model against the plate-plate and sphere-plate geometries, for which the exact solutions are known. Then, we apply it to the analytically unwieldy case of plate-concave plate that is relevant for Casimir force measurements. This work provides a reliable estimation of the parasitic contribution from random potential patches., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures

Optomechanical systems using a membrane-in-the-middle configuration can exhibit a long-range type of interaction similar to how atoms show collective motion in an optical potential. Photons bounce back and forth inside a high-finesse Fabry-P\'{e}rot cavity and mediate the interaction between multiple membranes over a significant distance compared to the wavelength. Recently, it has been demonstrated that light coupling the center-of-mass mode of the membranes can cause coherent mechanical noise cancellation. Long-range interactions involving the breathing mode of the membranes have to date not been experimentally demonstrated, however. In our experiment, a double-membrane system inside a Fabry-P\'{e}rot cavity resonantly enhances the cavity field, resulting in a stronger optomechanical coupling strength from the increased radiation pressure. The resonance condition is first identified by analyzing the slope of the dispersion relation. Then, the optomechanical coupling is determined at various chip positions over one wavelength range. The optimum coupling conditions are obtained and enhancement is demonstrated for double membrane arrays with three different reflectivites, reaching nearly four-fold enhancement for the breathing mode of $R=65\%$ double membranes. The cavity losses at the optimum coupling are also characterized and the potential of reaching the single-photon strong coupling regime is discussed.

Mechanical resonators that possess coupled modes with harmonic frequency relations have recently sparked interest due to their suitability for controllable energy transfer and non-Hermitian dynamics. Here, we show coupling between high Q-factor ($>\!\!10^4$) resonances with a nearly 1:1 frequency relation in spatially-symmetric microresonators. We develop and demonstrate a method to analyze their dynamical behavior based on the simultaneous and resonant detection of both spectral peaks, and validate this with experimental results. The frequency difference between the peaks modulates their ringdown, and creates a beat pattern in the linear decay. This method applies both to the externally driven and the Brownian motion (thermal) regime, and allows characterization of both linear and nonlinear parameters. The mechanism behind this method renders it broadly applicable to both optical and electrical readout, as well as to different mechanical systems. This will aid studies using near-degenerate mechanical modes, for e.g., optomechanical energy transfer, synchronization and gyroscopic sensors.

Mechanical frequency combs are poised to bring the applications and utility of optical frequency combs into the mechanical domain. So far, their main challenge has been strict requirements on drive frequencies and power, which complicate operation. We demonstrate a straightforward mechanism to create a frequency comb consisting of mechanical overtones (integer multiples) of a single eigenfrequency, by monolithically integrating a suspended dielectric membrane with a counter-propagating optical trap. The periodic optical field modulates the dielectrophoretic force on the membrane at the overtones of a membrane's motion. These overtones share a fixed frequency and phase relation, and constitute a mechanical frequency comb. The periodic optical field also creates an optothermal parametric drive that requires no additional power or external frequency reference. This combination of effects results in an easy-to-use mechanical frequency comb platform that requires no precise alignment, no additional feedback or control electronics, and only uses a single, mW continuous wave laser beam. This highlights the overtone frequency comb as the straightforward future for applications in sensing, metrology and quantum acoustics.

State-of-the-art nanomechanical resonators are heralded as a central component for next-generation clocks, filters, resonant sensors and quantum technologies. To practically build these technologies will require monolithic integration of microchips, resonators and readout systems. While it is widely seen that mounting microchip substrates into a system can greatly impact the performance of high-Q resonators, a systematic study has remained elusive, owing to the variety of physical processes and factors that influence the dissipation. Here, we analytically analyze a mechanism by which substrates couple to resonators manufactured on them, and experimentally demonstrate that this coupling can increase the mechanical dissipation of nanomechanical resonators when the resonance frequencies of resonator and substrate coincide. More generally, we then show a similar coupling mechanism can exist between two adjacent resonators. Since the substrate-mode coupling mechanism strongly depends on both the resonator position on the substrate and the mounting of the substrate, this work provides key design guidelines for high-precision nanomechanical technologies.

From ultra-sensitive detectors of fundamental forces to quantum networks and sensors, mechanical resonators are enabling next-generation technologies to operate in room temperature environments. Currently, silicon nitride nanoresonators stand as a leading microchip platform in these advances by allowing for mechanical resonators whose motion is remarkably isolated from ambient thermal noise. However, to date, human intuition has remained the driving force behind design processes. Here, inspired by nature and guided by machine learning, a spiderweb nanomechanical resonator is developed that exhibits vibration modes which are isolated from ambient thermal environments via a novel "torsional soft-clamping" mechanism discovered by the data-driven optimization algorithm. This bio-inspired resonator is then fabricated; experimentally confirming a new paradigm in mechanics with quality factors above 1 billion in room temperature environments. In contrast to other state-of-the-art resonators, this milestone is achieved with a compact design which does not require sub-micron lithographic features or complex phononic bandgaps, making it significantly easier and cheaper to manufacture at large scales. Here we demonstrate the ability of machine learning to work in tandem with human intuition to augment creative possibilities and uncover new strategies in computing and nanotechnology.

Studying the interplay between multiple coupled mechanical resonators is a promising new direction in the field of optomechanics. Understanding the dynamics of the interaction can lead to rich new effects, such as enhanced coupling and multi-body physics. In particular, multi-resonator optomechanical systems allow for distinct dynamical effects due to the optical cavity coherently coupling mechanical resonators. Here, we study the mechanical response of two SiN membranes and a single optical mode, and find that the cavity induces a time delay between the local and cavity-transduced thermal noises experienced by the resonators. This results in an optomechanical phase lag that causes destructive interference, cancelling the mechanical thermal noise by up to 20 dB in a controllable fashion, matching our theoretical expectation. Based on the effective coupling between membranes, we further propose, derive and measure a collective effect, cooperativity competition on mechanical dissipation, whereby the linewidth of one resonator depends on the coupling efficiency (cooperativity) of the other resonator.