All-optical light storage in bound states in the continuum and release by demand

Abstract

In the framework of the temporal coupled mode theory we consider bound states embedded in the continuum (BSC) of photonic crystal waveguide as a capacity for light storage. A symmetry protected BSC occurs in two off-channel microresonators positioned symmetrically relative to the waveguide. We demonstrate that the symmetry protected BSC captures a fraction of a light pulse due to the Kerr effect as the pulse passes by the microresonators. However the amount of captured light is found to be strongly sensitive to the parameters of the gaussian light pulse such as basic frequency, duration and intensity. In contrast to the above case the BSC resulted from a full destructive interference of two eigenmodes of a single microresonator accumulates a fixed amount of light dependent on the material parameters of the microresonator but independent of the light pulse. The BSCs in the Fabry-Perot resonator show similar effects. We also show that the accumulated light can be released by a secondary pulse. These phenomena pave a way for all-optical storage and release of light.