Brillouin scattering self-cancellation.
The interaction between light and acoustic phonons is strongly modified in sub-wavelength confinement, and has led to the demonstration and control of Brillouin scattering in photonic structures such as nano-scale optical waveguides and cavities. Besides the small optical mode volume, two physical mechanisms come into play simultaneously: a volume effect caused by the strain-induced refractive index perturbation (known as photo-elasticity), and a surface effect caused by the shift of the optical boundaries due to mechanical vibrations. As a result, proper material and structure engineering allows one to control each contribution individually. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the perfect cancellation of Brillouin scattering arising from Rayleigh acoustic waves by engineering a silica nanowire with exactly opposing photo-elastic and moving-boundary effects. This demonstration provides clear experimental evidence that the interplay between the two mechanisms is a promising tool to precisely control the photon-phonon interaction, enhancing or suppressing it.
Gleb Wataghin Physics Institute, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-859, Brazil.
O
O
Florez
Gleb Wataghin Physics Institute, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-859, Brazil.
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PF
Jarschel
Gleb Wataghin Physics Institute, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-859, Brazil.
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YA
Espinel
Gleb Wataghin Physics Institute, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-859, Brazil.
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CM
Cordeiro
Gleb Wataghin Physics Institute, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-859, Brazil.
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TP
Mayer Alegre
Gleb Wataghin Physics Institute, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-859, Brazil.
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GS
Wiederhecker
Gleb Wataghin Physics Institute, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-859, Brazil.
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P
Dainese