My fields of expertise are Brillouin scattering and optomechanics, nonlinear fiber optics and photonic circuits, as well as classical and quantum communications. The projects in my group span from nonlinear optics to quantum optics with a focus on light-sound interactions and waveguide optomechanics. We want to explore optoacoustic interaction experimentally at the classical and quantum level with suitably engineered microstructured fibres and nanowaveguides to manipulate, in this way, light states
Stimulated Brillouin scattering drives a coherent interaction between<br> optical signals and acoustic phonons and can be used for storing optical<br> information in acoustic waves. An important consideration arises when<br> multiple optical frequencies are simultaneously employed in the<br> Brillouin process: in this case, the acoustic phonons that are addressed<br> by each optical wavelength can be separated by frequencies far smaller<br> than the acoustic phonon linewidth, potentially leading to cross talk<br> between the optical modes. Here we extend the concept of Brillouin-based<br> light storage to multiple wavelength channels. We experimentally and<br> theoretically show that the accumulated phase mismatch over the length<br> of the spatially extended phonons allows each optical wavelength channel<br> to address a distinct phonon mode, ensuring negligible cross talk and<br> preserving the coherence, even if the phonons overlap in frequency. This<br> phase-mismatch for broad-bandwidth pulses has far-reaching implications<br> allowing dense wavelength multiplexing in Brillouin-based light storage,<br> multifrequency Brillouin sensing and lasing, parallel microwave<br> processing, and quantum photon-phonon interactions. (C) 2019 Author(s).
On-chip correlation-based Brillouin sensing: design, experiment, and
simulation
Atiyeh Zarifi,
Birgit Stiller,
Moritz Merklein,
Yang Liu,
Blair Morrison,
Alvaro Casas-Bedoya,
Guanghui Ren,
Thach G. Nguyen,
Khu Vu, et al.
JOURNAL OF THE OPTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA B-OPTICAL PHYSICS
36
(1)
146-152
(2019)
| Journal
Wavelength-scale stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) waveguides are<br> enabling novel on-chip functionalities. The microscale and nanoscale SBS<br> structures and the complexity of the SBS waveguides require a<br> characterization technique to monitor the local geometry-dependent SBS<br> responses along the waveguide. In this work, we demonstrate an<br> experimental spatial resolution of 500 mu m, which can detect feature<br> sizes down to 200 mu m on a silicon-chalcogenide photonic waveguide<br> using the Brillouin optical correlation domain analysis technique. We<br> provide extensive simulation and analysis of how multiple acoustic and<br> optical modes associated with geometrical variations influence the<br> Brillouin spectrum. (C) 2018 Optical Society of America
Scientific career
since 2024 also W3 Full Professorship at Leibniz University Hannover
04/2019 – Independent Max Planck Research Group Leader (centrally funded, selected in the competitive call 2017), Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Germany, Quantum Optoacoustic
04/2021- 09/2022 Temporary W3 Full Professorship (Lehrstuhlvertretung), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Chair of Optics
06/2015 – 02/2019 Research fellow, The University of Sydney, CUDOS, Australia, Nonlinear Optical Phononics (Prof. Benjamin Eggleton)
10/2012 – 05/2015 Postdoctoral fellow, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Germany, Optical Communication and Quantum Communication (Prof. Gerd Leuchs)
02/2012 – 09/2012Postdoctoral fellow, CNRS Institute FEMTO-ST, Besançon, France, Nonlinear Optics and Optoacoustics (Dr. Thibaut Sylvestre)
Academic education
01/2009 – 01/2012 Doctoral thesis, CNRS Institute FEMTO-ST, Besançon, France, “Brillouin scattering in photonic crystal fibre: from fundamentals to fibre optic sensors”, (Dr. Thibaut Sylvestre, Dr. Hervé Maillotte)
10/2003 – 12/2008 Master’s degree Mathematics / Physics / Education, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany, Master thesis: „Fabrication of periodically poled LiNbO3 for nonlinear optical frequency conversion by quasi phase matching“ (Prof. Jan-Peter Meyn, Prof. Christine Silberhorn)
Selected awards, fellowships, services
2024 - ERC Consolidator Grant
2024 - Henriette Hertz Scout of the Humbold Foundation
2019-2021 Conference chair, “Workshop on Optomechanics and Brillouin scattering - WOMBAT 2021/2022”, Erlangen, Germany (16-18 June 2021 and 14-17 June 2022)
2019 Conference chair, “Workshop on Optomechanics and Brillouin scattering - WOMBAT 2021”, Erlangen, Germany (planned for 16-18 June 2021)
2019 Guest editor for APL Photonics for the Topical Issue “Optoacoustics - Advances in High-Frequency Optomechanics and Brillouin Scattering”
2018 Co-Chair, “Nanophotonics 2018 – the next frontier”, Canberra, Australia
2016 Co-Chair, “Quantum photonic connections conference”, Sydney, Australia
2013 – 2015 Cusanuswerk career development program
2011 Prix A’Doc 2011 of the Université Franche-Comté
2009 – 2011 CNRS PhD Scholarship
2009 Ohm-Preis 2008/2009 of the Physics department at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
