Abstract
Sensitive optical experiments in fiber, including for applications in communications and quantum information, are limited by the noise generated when light scatters from thermally excited guided-acoustic phonons. Novel fibers, such as microstructured fibers, offer control over both optical and acoustic waveguide properties, which can be designed to mitigate optomechanical noise. Here, we investigate the optomechanical properties of microstructured anti-resonant hollow-core fibers and demonstrate their promise as a low-noise fiber platform. By developing an ultra-sensitive spectroscopy technique, a seven capillary anti-resonant hollow-core fiber is found to exhibit record low optomechanical coupling (<10−4 W−1 m−1), in agreement with comprehensive numerical calculations. The largest scattering occurs from a guided acoustic mode in the air confined in the core of the fiber. Acoustic resonances in the silica, due to minimal overlap with the optical mode in the core, scatter a hundred times less, resulting in negligible depolarization noise. The largest optomechanical interactions in anti-resonant hollow-core fibers are found to be at least three (five if evacuated) orders of magnitude weaker than those in conventional single-mode fibers, which makes this class of fibers a promising platform for low noise applications, including quantum information processing and optical communication.
Highlights
Light scatters from guided acoustic waves through a nonlinear optomechanical interaction referred to as guided acoustic wave Brillouin scattering
Sensitive forward Brillouin spectroscopy is developed experimentally based on a two-color technique33,34
The interference between the resultant two optical frequencies resonantly drives the acoustic modes when the modulation frequency matches the frequency of the acoustic resonance
Summary
Light scatters from guided acoustic waves through a nonlinear optomechanical interaction referred to as guided acoustic wave Brillouin scattering. ARHCFs guide light through an inhibitedcoupling design that strongly reduces the coupling of light in the core to the continuum of cladding modes.35–39 These fibers have gained attention recently owing to their ultra-low loss across broad bandwidths, strong optical confinements, high damage thresholds, and relatively simple fabrication requirements. The tight confinement of the optical mode and lack of material in and around the core suggest that these fibers could be an attractive alternative for suppressing optomechanical noise for sensitive applications. Characterizing such weak optomechanical effects will require measurement sensitivities significantly beyond those demonstrated in previous investigations of forward Brillouin scattering.. Experimental results are explained through a simple physical model, and approaches toward improved optomechanical gain sensitivities are identified
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