Analysis of radiation pressure induced nonlinear optofluidics

We analyze two nonlinear optofluidic processes where nonlinearity is induced by the interplay between optical field and liquid interface. Specifically, guided optical waves generate radiation pressure on the liquid interface, which can in turn distort the liquid interface and modify the properties of the optical field. In the first example, we discuss the feasibility of nonlinear optofluidic solitons, where optical field is governed by the nonlinear Schrödinger equation and nonlinearity is effectively determined by liquid properties. Then, we analyze a nonlinear optofluidic process associated with a high quality (Q) factor whispering gallery mode (WGM) in a liquid droplet. Similar to Kerr effects, the WGM can produce a frequency shift proportional to the WGM power. Using liquid properties that are experimentally attainable, we find that it may only take a few photons to generate measurable WGM resonance shift. Such a possibility may eventually lead to nonlinear optics at single photon energy level.