Experimental exploration of synchronization in scalable oscillator microsystems has unfolded a deeper understanding of networks, collective phenomena, and signal processing. Cavity optomechanical devices have played an important role in this scenario, with the perspective of bridging optical and radio frequencies through nonlinear classical and quantum synchronization concepts. In its simplest form, synchronization occurs when an oscillator is entrained by a signal with frequency nearby the oscillator’s tone, and becomes increasingly challenging as their frequency detuning increases. Here, we experimentally demonstrate entrainment of a silicon-nitride optomechanical oscillator driven up to the fourth harmonic of its 32 MHz fundamental frequency. Exploring this effect, we also experimentally demonstrate a purely optomechanical RF frequency divider, where we performed frequency division up to a 4:1 ratio, i.e., from 128 MHz to 32 MHz. Further developments could harness these effects towards frequency synthesizers, phase-sensitive amplification and nonlinear sensing.

可扩展振荡器微系统中同步的实验探索已经展开了对网络、集体现象和信号处理的更深入理解。腔光机械设备在这种情况下发挥了重要作用，通过非线性经典和量子同步概念桥接光学和无线电频率。在最简单的形式中，同步发生在振荡器被频率接近振荡器音调的信号夹带时，并且随着它们的频率失谐增加而变得越来越具有挑战性。在这里，我们通过实验证明了氮化硅光机械振荡器的夹带，驱动至其 32 MHz 基频的四次谐波。探索这种效应，我们还通过实验证明了一个纯粹的光机械射频分频器，我们以 4:1 的比例执行分频，即从 128 MHz 到 32 MHz。进一步的发展可以将这些影响用于频率合成器、相敏放大和非线性传感。