Frozen optical fibre boosts light-sound interaction 1,000x, enabling new computing uses

Scientists have achieved a major breakthrough by freezing the liquid inside a special optical fibre to -196°C. At this extreme temperature, the fibre was found to amplify interactions between light and hypersonic sound waves by more than 1,000 times compared to standard fibres. Crucially, the frozen fibre retained its ability to guide both light and sound. The experiment also enabled researchers to demonstrate optoacoustic memory, a key capability for advanced technologies. The discovery opens potential pathways for low-energy photonic computing, quantum information processing, and high-precision sensing applications.