Full photon statistics of a light beam transmitted through an optomechanical system

Abstract

In this paper, we study the full statistics of photons transmitted through an optical cavity coupled to nanomechanical motion. We analyze the entire temporal evolution of the photon correlations, the Fano factor, and the effects of strong laser driving, all of which show pronounced features connected to the mechanical backaction. In the regime of single-photon strong coupling, this allows us to predict a transition from sub-Poissonian to super-Poissonian statistics for larger observation time intervals. Furthermore, we predict cascades of transmitted photons triggered by multiphoton transitions. In this regime, we observe Fano factors that are drastically enhanced due to the mechanical motion. © 2013 American Physical Society.