Room temperature cavity electromechanics in the sideband-resolved regime

Abstract: We demonstrate a sideband-resolved cavity electromechanical system operating at room temperature. The mechanical resonator, a strongly pre-stressed silicon nitride string, is dielectrically coupled to a three-dimensional microwave cavity made of copper. The electromechanical coupling is characterized by two measurements, the cavity-induced eigenfrequency shift of the mechanical resonator and the optomechanically induced transparency. While the former is dominated by dielectric effects, the latter reveals a clear signature of the dynamical backaction of the cavity field on the resonator. This unlocks the field of cavity electromechanics for room temperature applications.