Plasmonic nanofibers for the enhanced of Brillouin scattering

International audienceThe rich and complex dynamics of light and sound interactions in tiny optical waveguides such as photonic nanofibers and microstructured optical fibers has recently gained high interest. For instance, photonic nanofibers are hair-like glass wire, manufactured by tapering optical fibers down to submicron diameters [1]. In addition to providing strong light confinement and, hence, enhanced nonlinear optical effects, photonic nanowires also exhibit a large evanescent field. They thus have a number of optical and mechanical properties that make them very attractive for both fundamental physics and technological applications not currently possible with comparatively bulky optical fibers [2]. To date, Brillouin scattering in these tiny waveguides has yet to be explored. Brillouin scattering between sound and light waves has been extensively investigated in optical fibers. It is well-known that tapered optical fiber support many transverse, longitudinal and surface acoustic waves over a broad frequency range from 50 MHz to 11 GHz. We propose to functionalized surface of nanofiber with a gold or silver coating for infrared applications and enhanced nonlinear phenomena as represented in figure 1. Circulating cylindrical coating with metallic layer is perfectly adapted to generate surface plasmon at telecom wavelengths and is suitable for filters, polarizers, and sensors application