Advanced Applications of Nano-Optomechanics

Dear Colleagues,

The advancement of technology in micro- and/or nanofabrication has provided a wonderful opportunity for the integration of optics with mechanics at the nanoscale. Such an integration produces many interesting effects and enables a plethora of applications. On one hand, the integrated mechanical structures can strongly influence nanostructured optical devices, such as nanophotonic devices, plasmonic devices, nanoantennas, metamaterials, and metasurfaces,  thus leading to a wide range of novel instruments including nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS)-based tunable devices and sensitive sensors with optical readouts. These devices feature smaller footprint, higher level of integration, enhanced performance, faster operational speed, and greater bandwidth. On the other hand, nanoscale optical devices are able to confine light within small mode volumes, which in turn results in strong optical forces (i.e. radiation pressure and field gradient force). Such optical forces effectively couple the mechanical and optical degrees of freedom in nanoscale optomechanical devices, thereby affecting and generating a series of new applications in both classic and quantum optics. Examples include coherent excitation of nanomechanical resonators, optically driven reconfigurable photonic circuits, optomechanical damping, optical spring effect, optomechanically induced transparency, optomechanical frequency comb, parametric wavelength conversion, reciprocity breaking in light transmission, and many others.

This Special Issue aims to provide an overview of the recent developments in the area of nano optomechanics. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Linear and nonlinear dynamics in nano-optomechanical devices;
• Theory and modelling of nano-optomechanics;
• NEMS-based tunable nanophotonic devices;
• Tunable nano-antennas, metasurfaces, and metamaterials;
• Novel sensors and sensing mechanisms based on nano-optomechanics;
• Novel fabrication technology;
• Novel materials and material integration for nano-optomechanics;
• Cavity optomechanics;
• Optomechanical crystal devices.

Dr. Guangya Zhou
Guest Editor

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