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  • Open Access

Dressed-state optomechanics in the few-photon regime

Surangana Sengupta1,*, Björn Kubala1,2, Joachim Ankerhold1, and Ciprian Padurariu1

  • 1Institute for Complex Quantum Systems and IQST, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, D-89069 Ulm, Germany
  • 2German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Quantum Technologies, Wilhelm-Runge Straße 10, 89081 Ulm, Germany

  • *Contact author: surangana.sen-gupta@uni-ulm.de
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Phys. Rev. Research 8, 033326 – Published 16 September, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/2pg1-7jrl

Abstract

Efficient optomechanical cooling typically requires high photon occupancy to maximize cooling power, a constraint that generally limits the degree of coherent quantum control available in the few-photon regime. Here, we investigate this trade-off by considering a strongly nonlinear cavity operated as a discrete quantum system. In the weak-coupling limit, we derive a general connection between the optomechanical damping rate and the cavity's dressed-state manifold. This framework reveals that the damping rate (determined by the population imbalance across dressed states) is directly tunable via the coherent manipulation tools, which are standard in circuit quantum electrodynamics. We illustrate this framework using a Josephson photonics architecture, where a dc-biased junction induces a photon blockade that truncates the cavity to an N-level system. By sacrificing raw cooling (or heating) power, this platform enables full quantum mechanical control over optomechanical properties, offering a versatile avenue for the quantum manipulation of mechanical modes.

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Phys. Rev. Research 8, 033326– Published 16 September, 2026
  • Received 23 March 2026
  • Accepted 25 August 2026
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