The objective of this research is to design integrated fibre components for all optical signal processing based on subwavelength diameter optical fibres (microwires and small core photonic crystal fiber) that offer unique and unmatched features to enhance opto-acoustic interaction.
This ANR Lead Agency is aimed at investigating and harnessing novel Opto-AcouStic mIcrowireS (OASIS). These microwires show outstanding properties to guide light and sound waves simultaneously, along with a rich unusual variety of interaction between these two types of waves, and can open the possibility an extended control of their mutual interactions. This should significantly increase the efficiency of the coupling of light and material vibrations directly in low-loss optical fibres, leading to a seamless integration in existing optical network infrastructures. This coupling is a very elegant solution for performing all-optical functions, such as optical storage and analog or digital calculations, or simply to control light by light through the intercession of a coherent material vibration. This project also has a strong application potential as it meets a significant demand for developing new all-optical digital functions for the next generation of optical systems.
This project is funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR) in the frame of its lead agency program under grant number ANR-14-CE36-0005-01.