Toward RF to Optical Quantum Transduction using Brillouin Scattering

Recent work in cavity optomechanics has demonstrated an unprecedented level of sensitivity in the detection of acoustic phonons through Brillouin scattering in optical cavities. [1] This work extends the experimental scheme by adding a resonant RF cavity, enabling the investigation of electro-acousto-optical couplings.
We demonstrate two important use cases: First, we measure the cavity-enhanced transduction efficiency of microwave to optical photons in x-cut Quartz, a piezoelectric material; and second, we further refine the bounds on anomalous piezoelectricity in Silicon, a centrosymmetric material. Future applications of our work are directly relevant in microwave to optical transduction for the construction of quantum networks and the understanding of phonon properties in substrates to utilize in superconducting qubits system.[2]
[1] Kharel, et al. Science Advances (2019)
[2] Vijay Jain, Acoustic Spontaneous Emission by a Superconducting Qubit, APS March Meeting 2021