Higher-order stimulated Brillouin scattering with nondiffracting beams

We report on an experimental investigation of stimulated Brillouin scattering pumped with a Bessel beam. Owing to the extended interaction length along the diffraction-free propagation, higher-order Stokes components are generated in a bulk Brillouin-active medium with odd and even orders propagating in opposite directions. The spatial, spectral, and temporal properties of the interacting waves are discussed.