Generation and suppression of stimulated Brillouin scattering in single liquid droplets

Abstract
Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) from micrometer-sized single water and methanol droplets was observed with a Brillouin shift that varied within a range determined by the k-vector spread and the optical feedback provided by the droplet interface. The inability to observe SBS in carbon disulfide droplets is attributed to phase-modulation broadening of the input and Brillouin radiation resulting from the large intensity-dependent index of refraction of carbon disulfide.