Coherent control of acoustic phonons in a silica fiber using a multi-GHz optical frequency comb

Multi-gigahertz mechanical vibrations that stem from interactions between light fields and matter-known as acoustic phonons-have long been a subject of research. In recent years, specially designed functional devices have been developed to enhance the strength of the light-matter interactions because excitation of acoustic phonons using a continuous-wave laser alone is insufficient. However, the strength of the interaction cannot be controlled appropriately or instantly using these structurally-dependent enhancements. Here we show a technique to control the effective interaction strength that does not operate via the material structure in the spatial domain; instead, the method operates through the structure of the light in the time domain. The effective excitation and coherent control of acoustic phonons in a single-mode fiber using an optical frequency comb that is performed by tailoring the optical pulse train. This work represents an important step towards comb-matter interactions.

Automated summary

Researchers have developed a new technique to control the effective interaction strength of acoustic phonons by manipulating the time structure of light instead of the material structure. By adjusting the optical pulse train, excitation and coherent control of acoustic phonons in a single-mode fiber can be achieved.