Photon-phonon Interaction in a Microfiber Induced by Optical and Electrostrictive Forces

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Acoustics and Mechanics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) is a key light-sound interaction limiting power in optical fibers.
• Electrostrictive force is the primary mechanism driving SBS in conventional fibers.
• Optical microfibers offer a novel platform for enhanced photon-phonon interactions due to their unique properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of radiation pressure in SBS within optical microfibers.
• To theoretically analyze the optomechanical system in cylindrical coordinates.
• To compare the effects of radiation pressure and electrostrictive force on SBS in silica microfibers.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical modeling of the optomechanical system in cylindrical coordinates.
• Analysis of photon-phonon coupling mechanisms.
• Comparison of SBS behavior in solid and hollow silica microfibers.

Main Results:

• Radiation pressure induces an effect analogous to electrostrictive force in SBS.
• Contrary to electrostriction, radiation pressure can suppress SBS in solid microfibers.
• SBS photon-phonon coupling can be completely cancelled in hollow microfibers due to radiation pressure.

Conclusions:

• Optical microfibers provide a tunable platform for controlling SBS.
• Radiation pressure offers a mechanism to mitigate or eliminate SBS in microfiber-based devices.
• This finding has implications for high-power fiber optics and optomechanical systems.