Jack Sankey, McGill University

Title: "Toward Optically Defined Micromechanical Systems" (Video)

Abstract: Mechanical systems are ubiquitous throughout society, from oscillators in timekeeping devices to accelerometers and electronic filters in automobiles and cell phones. They also represent an indispensable set of tools for fundamental science, providing a means of sensing atomic-scale forces and masses or even the minuscule spacetime distortions from passing gravitational waves. In the field of optomechanics, we exploit the forces exerted by radiation to gain a new level of control over these systems at all size scales.