Atom mediated sensing in a hybrid optomechanical system*

A primary difficulty in implementing quantum optomechanical protocols is the requirement to operate in the good cavity limit, i.e., where the cavity linewidth is far smaller than the mechanical frequency. We explore a hybrid two cavity approach in which a membrane-in-the-middle optomechanical cavity is coupled to a second, atomic cavity. Specifically, we show that it is possible to detect the motion of the membrane via an indirect measurement of the atoms. In the case of a non-ideal optomechanical cavity, we show that the sensitivity can be enhanced via this indirect detection. Finally, we investigate the quantum limitations of such a measurement scheme.