We review the field of cavity optomechanics, which explores the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and nano- or micromechanical motion This review covers the basics of optical cavities and mechanical resonators, their mutual optomechanical interaction mediated by the radiation pressure force, the large variety of experimental systems which exhibit this interaction, optical measurements of mechanical motion, dynamical backaction amplification and cooling, nonlinear dynamics, multimode optomechanics, and proposals for future cavity quantum optomechanics experiments In addition, we describe the perspectives for fundamental quantum physics and for possible applications of optomechanical devices

Cavity Optomechanics

Photonic crystal fibers guide light by corralling it within a periodic array of microscopic air holes that run along the entire fiber length Largely through their ability to overcome the limitations of conventional fiber optics—for example, by permitting low-loss guidance of light in a hollow core—these fibers are proving to have a multitude of important technological and scientific applications spanning many disciplines The result has been a renaissance of interest in optical fibers and their uses

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/299/5605/358.full.pdf

Photonic crystal fibers

A fast-Fourier-transform method of topography and interferometry is proposed. By computer processing of a noncontour type of fringe pattern, automatic discrimination is achieved between elevation and depression of the object or wave-front form, which has not been possible by the fringe-contour-generation techniques. The method has advantages over moire topography and conventional fringe-contour interferometry in both accuracy and sensitivity. Unlike fringe-scanning techniques, the method is easy to apply because it uses no moving components.

Fourier-transform method of fringe-pattern analysis for computer-based topography and interferometry

We review the recent developments in the area of optical fiber grating sensors, including quasi-distributed strain sensing using Bragg gratings, systems based on chirped gratings, intragrating sensing concepts, long period-based grating sensors, fiber grating laser-based systems, and interferometric sensor systems based on grating reflectors.

Fiber grating sensors

A topical review of numerical and experimental studies of supercontinuum generation in photonic crystal fiber is presented over the full range of experimentally reported parameters, from the femtosecond to the continuous-wave regime. Results from numerical simulations are used to discuss the temporal and spectral characteristics of the supercontinuum, and to interpret the physics of the underlying spectral broadening processes. Particular attention is given to the case of supercontinuum generation seeded by femtosecond pulses in the anomalous group velocity dispersion regime of photonic crystal fiber, where the processes of soliton fission, stimulated Raman scattering, and dispersive wave generation are reviewed in detail. The corresponding intensity and phase stability properties of the supercontinuum spectra generated under different conditions are also discussed.

Supercontinuum generation in photonic crystal fiber

Circular-symmetric optical fibres are ideal for studying nonlinear optical processes involving optical vortices [1] . Chiral photonic crystal fibres (PCFs), fabricated either by post-processing techniques or by spinning the preform during fibre drawing, have been shown to support circularly polarized helical Bloch modes (HBMs), which are superpositions of multiple vortices with topological charges l ( m ) = l (0) + mN , where N is the number of azimuthal periods and m the order of the m -th azimuthal Bloch harmonic [2] . Here we report on the importance of the preservation of topological charge in polarisation modulational instability (PMI) between circularly polarised modes in a circularly birefringent chiral PCF with a 3-fold rotationally symmetric core.

Importance of Topological Charge Preservation in Vectorial Modulational Instability in Chiral Three-Core PCF

ESPC Technical Program Committee

The interaction between light and microwave sound can be strongly enhanced by tight confinement within the wavelength-scale core of a nano-structured photonic crystal fibre. A new family of efficient acousto-optical and nonlinear-optical devices is emerging.

Microwave sound-light interactions in nanostructured photonic crystal fibres

We report generation of coherent octave-spanning mid-infrared supercontinua in As2S3-silica waveguides pumped by a custom-built 2.8 μm femtosecond fiber laser. The fabricated hybrid waveguides are demonstrated to be long-term stable and water-resistant.

Mid-IR supercontinua in dispersion-engineered As 2 S 3 -silica nanospike waveguides pumped by fs pulses at 2.8 μm

Flexural resonances in the dual-nanoweb fibre begin to oscillate upon pumping with mW of laser light, generating a frequency comb. Theory shows that structural inhomogeneities play an important role in determining the threshold power.

Philip St. J. Russell

Papers

Importance of Topological Charge Preservation in Vectorial Modulational Instability in Chiral Three-Core PCF

ESPC Technical Program Committee

Microwave sound-light interactions in nanostructured photonic crystal fibres

Mid-IR supercontinua in dispersion-engineered As 2 S 3 -silica nanospike waveguides pumped by fs pulses at 2.8 μm

Power threshold of noise-seeded CW-pumped single-pass stimulated Raman-like scattering in dual-nanoweb fibre