Liquid-state acoustically-nonlinear nanoplasmonic source of optical frequency combs

TL;DR

This paper proposes a theoretical hybrid liquid-state nanoplasmonic device that uses nonlinear acoustic effects to generate optical frequency combs, potentially enabling ultra-compact photonic applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel liquid-state, nanoplasmonic approach for generating optical frequency combs using nonlinear acoustic interactions, which is compatible with fiber-optic technology.

Findings

Demonstrates the feasibility of using nonlinear acoustic effects in liquids for optical comb generation

Proposes a nanoantenna-based design to harness acoustic nonlinearities for optical synthesis

Lays groundwork for ultra-compact, integrated photonic devices using liquid-state nanoplasmonics

Abstract

Nonlinear acoustic interactions in liquids are effectively stronger than nonlinear optical interactions in solids. Thus, harnessing these interactions will offer new possibilities in the design of ultra-compact nonlinear photonic devices. We theoretically demonstrate a hybrid, liquid-state and nanoplasmonic, source of optical frequency combs compatible with fibre-optic technology. This source relies on a nanoantenna to harness the strength of nonlinear acoustic effects and synthesise optical spectra from ultrasound.