Optomechanical parametric control of mid-infrared photons via molecular vibrational polariton
Controlling mid-infrared (MIR) photons using well-developed telecom photonic platforms would enable new functionalities in molecular and quantum photonics. However, establishing efficient interactions between MIR and telecom photons remains challenging due to their large spectral separation and weak nonlinear coupling. Here, we demonstrate optomechanical control of MIR photons mediated by vibrational polaritons, enabling photon-photon interaction between MIR and telecom fields across distant spectral regions. Using a Fabry-Pérot cavity incorporating a vibrationally active polymer, we observe telecom-driven dissipation enhancement of MIR photons at 9.5 $μ$m with a modulation depth of 1% under a 4 mW pump. The linear power dependence, mixing-ratio dependence, and detuning response consistently indicate a MIR and telecom photon-photon conversion enabled by strong light-matter coupling. This approach establishes a polaritonic optomechanical platform for bridging disparate spectral regimes and provides a dissipation-engineered route toward hybrid MIR photonics and quantum transduction.