Stimulated Brillouin scattering in silica optical nanofibers

Abstract

International audienceStimulated Brillouin scattering offers a broad range ofapplications, including lasers, sensors, and microwave photonics,most of which require strong Brillouin gain within a narrowbandwidth. Here, we experimentally report the first measurement ofstimulated Brillouin scattering in silica optical nanofibers fromboth hybrid and surface acoustic waves. Using a pump-probetechnique in the radio-frequency domain, we measured a Brillouingain as high as 15 m−1W−1 and linewidth to 16 MHz for the L03hybrid acoustic mode near 9 GHz using a 990-nm diameter nanofiber.This gain is 65 times larger than the highest gain obtained instandard single-mode fibers. Additionally, we report a Brillouingain of up to 5 m−1W−1 from surface acoustic waves around 5 GHz. Wefurther demonstrate a nanofiber-based Brillouin laser with athreshold of 350 mW. Our results create opportunities for advancedBrillouin-based applications utilizing optical nanofibers