Brillouin optomechanics

Abstract In this chapter we introduce the concept of Brillouin optomechanics, a phonon-photon interaction process mediated by the electrostrictive force exerted by light on dielectrics and the photoelastic scattering of light from an acoustic wave. We first provide a review of the phenomenon and continue with the first experiments where stimulated Brillouin optomechanical actuation was used in microdevices, and spontaneous Brillouin cooling was demonstrated.