We study nonlinear effects in an optomechanical system containing a quantum well. The nonlinearity due to the optomechanical coupling leads to a bistable behavior in the mean intracavity photon number and substantial squeezing in the transmitted field. We show that the optical bistability and the degree of squeezing can be controlled by tuning the power and frequency of the pump laser. The transmitted field intensity spectrum consists of six distinct peaks corresponding to optomechanical, polariton, and hybrid resonances. Interestingly, even though the quantum well and the mechanical modes are not directly coupled, their interaction with the common quantized cavity mode results in appearance of hybrid resonances.

• Received 7 March 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.85.043824