Abstract
Fizeau’s experiment, inspiring Einstein’s special theory of relativity, reveals a small dragging effect acting on light inside a moving medium. Dispersion can enhance such light drag according to Lorentz’s predication. Here fast- and slow-light-enhanced light drag is demonstrated experimentally in a moving optical microcavity through stimulated Brillouin scattering induced transparency and absorption. The strong dispersion provides an enhancement factor up to ~104, greatly reducing the system size down to the micrometer range. These results may offer a unique platform for a compact, integrated solution to motion sensing and ultrafast signal processing applications.
Highlights
Fizeau’s experiment, inspiring Einstein’s special theory of relativity, reveals a small dragging effect acting on light inside a moving medium
We experimentally demonstrate strong normal and anomalous dispersion enhanced light dragging effect arising from both slow and fast light induced by stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) processes in a solid-state microcavity platform
These results extend the special relativity experiment to a new solidstate system at the microscale, opening up new avenues for their practical applications in motional sensing and ultrafast signal processing[25]
Summary
Fizeau’s experiment, inspiring Einstein’s special theory of relativity, reveals a small dragging effect acting on light inside a moving medium. In solid-state systems, photonic crystals[14,15], optomechanical devices[16,17,18,19,20], and doped crystals[21,22] have shown great potential for dispersion management in a compact form, allowing exotic propagation such as slow/fast light[23] Both normal and anomalous dispersion associated with Brillouin scattering-induced transparency/absorption (BSIT/BSIA) have been demonstrated in a micro-scale optomechanical microcavity[20], providing a fertile ground to test light drag under both dispersion regimes. A Fano-like resonance obtained by detuning in the microcavity permits the observation of the drag by both slow and fast light in close spectral proximity These results extend the special relativity experiment to a new solidstate system at the microscale, opening up new avenues for their practical applications in motional sensing and ultrafast signal processing[25] (see Supplementary Note 1)
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