Quantum and classical light-sound interactions for photonic neuromorphic computing and quantum signal processing.

The interaction of light waves and acoustic vibrations links two very different domains in terms of frequency, velocity, dissipation and sensitivity to the environment. This opens the path to interesting applications in photonic neuromorphic computing, quantum signal processing and sensing. By using Brillouin-Mandelstam scattering, we investigate sound-based reconfigurable photonic neural networks and orbital angular momentum and frequency-based information processing in optical fibers as well as on-chip. We harness quantum acoustics for quantum memory, demonstrate cavity-less strong coupling in an optical fiber and study photon-phonon entanglement. Our interest extends to monitoring acoustically novel thermodynamic regimes such as negative pressure and to unleashing new high-gain platforms which help for energy efficient information processing.