Multiple membrane cavity optomechanics

We investigate theoretically the extension of cavity optomechanics to multiple membrane systems. We describe the simplest case of two membranes in a cavity, in terms of the coupling of the light fields to the breathing and center-of-mass modes of the membrane array. We show that these normal modes can be optically addressed individually and also be cooled, trapped, and characterized, e.g., via quantum nondemolition measurements. The extension to a larger number of membranes is briefly discussed.