  We show that it is possible to cool a nanomechanical resonator mode to its
ground state. The proposed technique is based on resonant laser excitation of a
phonon sideband of an embedded quantum dot. The strength of the sideband
coupling is determined directly by the difference between the electron-phonon
couplings of the initial and final states of the quantum dot optical
transition. Possible applications of the technique we describe include
generation of non-classical states of mechanical motion.
