Measurement backaction control of quantum dissipation in a nonlinear cavity-based Duffing oscillator

Quantum backaction from weak measurement affects the behavior of quantum systems. We consider a nonlinear driven Duffing oscillator system implementation in a nonlinear optical cavity, and we show that the choice of phase setting $\ensuremath{\phi}$ for a laser used in measurement can change the dissipation for the spread variables of the quantum state. This can considerably increase the energy absorbed via the energy channel of the spread variables and enhance quantum effects. This suggests novel applications to quantum control, as we demonstrate, including an example in which the energy in the spread variables allows for a dynamical tunneling between energetically separated dynamical stead-states.