Tailoring optical forces in waveguides through radiation pressure and electrostrictive forces

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Materials Science
• Optics

Background:

• Radiation pressure is well-studied in photonic systems.
• Electrostrictive forces from optical fields in dielectric materials are less understood, especially in high-index contrast waveguides.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the magnitude, scaling, and distribution of electrostrictive forces in high-index contrast waveguides.
• To compare electrostrictive forces with radiation pressure.
• To explore the potential for engineering optical forces in waveguide systems.

Main Methods:

• Analytical modeling of optical forces.
• Numerical simulations to analyze force distribution and scaling.
• Examination of material photoelastic tensor effects.

Main Results:

• Electrostrictive forces are substantial in high-index contrast waveguides, scaling quadratically with optical fields.
• Electrostrictive forces can cancel or combine with radiation pressure depending on the material properties.
• Combined optical forces can exceed 10(4) N/m² for realistic guided powers.
• Force distribution can be engineered via material choice and waveguide geometry.

Conclusions:

• Electrostrictive forces are a critical component of optical forces in high-index contrast waveguides.
• Tailoring waveguide design and materials allows for control over optical forces.
• Engineered optical forces can enable selective excitation of elastic waves through stimulated Brillouin scattering in nanoscale systems.