Quantum Optics Seminar by Ilia Chernobrovkin

Topological phononic waveguides in soft-clamped membranes

 Mechanical interconnects can play a vital role in information transfer and transduction. In order to obtain a low-loss waveguide, we designed a device that combines the principles of mechanical engineering, condensed matter physics, and topology. We show that wave propagation losses in such a configuration can be as low as ~3.1 dB/km.

In addition to that, we characterize backscattering loss probability at sharp bends and infer that, on average, only ~0.01% of phonons are reflected at each corner. Finally, we briefly discuss mechanical nonlinearities in membranes and present a fast imaging protocol for identifying resonant modes.