Abstract

It is well known that the amplitude of a laser radiation field in the vicinity of a metallic microparticle can be dramatically amplified at the surface plasma frequency. This feature of microparticle electrodynamics arises from a resonant coupling of the laser radiation field to the electronic plasma mode and has been utilized as a means to greatly enhance a variety of nonlinear processes. These are (1) second harmonic generation, (2) nondegenerate four-wave mixing, (3) phase conjugation, and (4) Raman scattering. Here, we show that stimulated Brillouin scattering can also be enhanced by surface mediated effects. In particular, since the amplitude of the electric field outside a microparticle is enhanced by resonant surface plasmon effects the laser-induced electrostrictive forces which give rise to stimulated Brillouin scattering in a liquid will be increased in the vicinity of the microparticle. Thus, if an appropriate liquid media such as CS₂ is seeded with metallic microparticles, the Brillouin gain coefficient can be measurably enhanced if the laser fields are resonant with the microparticle surface plasmon mode.

© 1986 Optical Society of America