Nonlinearity in optomechanical microresonators –phenomena, applications, and future

Optomechanical microresonators have received considerable attention in recent years because of their ability to realize strong light-matter interactions in both classical and quantum regimes and support various applications, e.g., sensing and constructing optical devices. Light-matter interactions in optomechanical microresonators enable a variety of nonlinear phenomena, which can significantly enhance the precision of sensing, the efficiency of communication, and the capabilities of quantum information processing, such as quantum state reconstruction. In this perspective, we first summarize optomechanical nonlinear phenomena in classical regimes (e.g., bistability, chaos, solitons) and quantum regimes (e.g., phonon lasing, optomechanically induced transparency). In addition, the application progress of nonlinear optomechanical effects in classical and quantum systems is reviewed, including high-sensitivity measurement, quantum state reconstruction, photon blockade, and microwave-optical conversion, etc. Finally, we provide new insights into future developments.