Regular Article

The realization of optomechanical complete synchronization and its application in sensors

College of Electronic and Optical Engineering & College of Microelectronics, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, P.R. China

^* e-mail: jinls@njupt.edu.cn

Received: 10 October 2018
Received in final form: 18 December 2018
Accepted: 15 March 2019
Published online: 26 April 2019

Abstract

In this work, we study the realization of stable complete synchronization in two coupled optomechanical systems with a master-slave configuration. By taking the open-plus-close-loop method as coupling scheme, it is revealed that the corresponding mechanical and optical mode from the two considered systems with parameters mismatched can be simultaneously synchronized both in linear and nonlinear regime, and even in chaotic state. Based on the achieved synchronization, the coupled systems are then explored in sensing applications. First, we investigate how the perturbations of laser driving from one of the coupled systems make impact on the established synchronization, during which three forms of perturbations, i.e., constant, linear and periodic are considered, and the results show these types of perturbations can be sensed via detecting the change of synchronizing status. Second, by taking one of the coupled as sensing part we develop the coupled system setting in complete synchronization as a mass sensor. It is found that tiny mass added on the sensing part will lead to desynchronization, and the quantities of added mass can be determined by calculating a designed similarity measure.