Optoacoustics—Advances in high-frequency optomechanics and Brillouin scattering

Abstract

The fields of cavity optomechanics and Brillouin scattering, linked by common underlying physical mechanisms, involve the interaction of light waves with mechanical vibrations at the micro- and nanoscale. Exciting fundamental research in both classical and quantum regimes as well as opportunities for applications in microwave photonics, frequency conversion, narrow-linewidth lasers, optomechanical sensors, electro-optic transducers, coherent light storage, and Brillouin spectroscopy have stimulated significant interest in the last decade. This special issue brings contributions to fundamental aspects regarding the Brillouin interaction such as novel waveguide structures, novel guiding mechanisms, the interplay between Brillouin and other nonlinear phenomena, and applications in sensing and light storage, as well as an introductory tutorial to the research field. Here, we provide a brief introduction to the topics covered in the issue.