Nonlinear optical processes are vital for fields including telecommunications, signal processing, data storage, spectroscopy, sensing, and imaging. As an independent research area, nonlinear optics began with the invention of the laser, because practical sources of intense light needed to generate optical nonlinearities were not previously available. However the high power requirements of many nonlinear optical systems limit their use, especially in portable or medical applications, and so there is a push to develop new materials and resonant structures capable of producing nonlinear optical phenomena with low-power light emitted by inexpensive and compact sources. Acoustic nonlinearities, especially giant acoustic nonlinear phenomena in gas bubbles and liquid droplets, are much stronger than their optical counterparts. Here, we suggest employing acoustic nonlinearities to generate new optical frequencies, thereby effectively reproducing nonlinear optical processes without the need for laser light. We critically survey the current literature dedicated to the interaction of light with nonlinear acoustic waves and highly-nonlinear oscillations of gas bubbles and liquid droplets. We show that the conversion of acoustic nonlinearities into optical signals is possible with low-cost incoherent light sources such as lightemitting diodes, which would usher new classes of low-power photonic devices that are more affordable for remote communities and developing nations, or where there are demanding requirements on size, weight and power. . 1: (a) Generation of new optical frequencies via a nonlinear optical interaction. High-power monochromatic laser light interacts with the nonlinear optical medium, e.g. a dielectric microresonator, to generate new optical frequencies [9]. (b, c) The nonlinear properties of sound can be used to generate optical nonlinearities without the need for high-power laser light. Low-power light couples to a sound wave via a deformable fluid, e.g. gas bubble or liquidmetal nanoparticle, exploiting strong nonlinear acoustic effects. This converts acoustic frequencies to the optical domain, effectively reproducing the result of the nonlinear optical interaction in (a). Images from www.freeimages.com and www.dreamstime.com.
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