On-chip asymmetric microcavity optomechanics.

High quality factor (Q) optical resonators have enabled rapid growth in the field of cavity-enhanced, radiation pressure-induced optomechanics. However, because research has focused on axisymmetric devices, the observed regenerative excited mechanical modes are similar. In the present work, a strategy for fabricating high-Q whispering gallery mode microcavities with varying degrees of asymmetry is developed and demonstrated. Due to the combination of high optical Q and asymmetric device design, two previously unobserved modes, the asymmetric cantilever and asymmetric crown mode, are demonstrated with sub-mW thresholds for onset of oscillations. The experimental results are in good agreement with computational modeling predictions.