CDPDS: Coupled dipole method-based photonic dispersion solver

Abstract

We develop and release a photonic band dispersion solver based on the coupled dipole method called CDPDS, which aims to provide an analytical computation of bulk and boundary dispersions and topological phases of a one-dimensional and two-dimensional photonic crystal consisting of an array of particles. The main advantages of CDPDS include (i) a wide coverage of computation that spans the bulk dispersion of a unit cell, boundary dispersion of a supercell comprising one or two types of photonic crystals, and topological phases, (ii) the inclusion of a straightforward graphical user interface that facilitates high accessibility to users who have no expertise in computer programming, and (iii) the addition of built-in options that are useful in examining the photonic dispersions of several widely used systems. The basic principle and computational method incorporated into CDPDS and its performance verification using two distinct photonic crystals are presented in this article. The results indicate that CDPDS will serve as helpful and accessible guidance for computing photonic band dispersions in the fields of conventional and topological photonics. Program summaryProgram Title: CDPDSCPC Library link to program files:https://doi.org/10.17632/865ntt8w7v.1Licensing provisions: LGPLProgramming language: Python 3.9Supplementary material: User manual, tutorial movie, and supplementary material file containing the reproduction of three photonic systems.Nature of problem: An analytical band dispersion analysis of a photonic crystal composed of an array of particles. The photonic dispersion and physics therein are important in investigating periodically arranged photonic systems. Additionally, there is an increasing demand for free and accessible software based on an analytical framework for computing bulk and boundary dispersions, electromagnetic field distributions, and topological phases of one-dimensional and two-dimensional photonic crystals.Solution method: CDPDS provides portable software for fast and efficient computation of bulk and boundary dispersions and topological phases of 1D and 2D photonic crystals using the coupled dipole method incorporated with the Bloch theorem. A particle that consists a photonic crystal is modeled as a point dipole with a prespecified polarizability tensor. CDPDS is highly accessible, especially for users who have no expertise in computer programming.Additional comments including restrictions and unusual features: The coupled dipole method models each sublattice of the photonic crystal of interest to a point dipole. Thus, photonic systems with geometric complexity can only be examined using simplifications.