Dicke‐type phase transition in a multimode optomechanical system

We consider the “membrane in the middle” optomechanical model consisting of a laser pumped cavity which is divided in two by a flexible membrane that is partially transmissive to light and subject to radiation pressure. Steady state solutions at the mean‐field level reveal that there is a critical strength of the light‐membrane coupling above which there is a symmetry breaking bifurcation where the membrane spontaneously acquires a displacement …