Defect modes of chiral photonic crystals with an isotropic defect

Abstract

Specific features of the defect modes of cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) with an isotropic defect, as well as their photonic density of states, Q factor, and emission, have been investigated. The effect of the thicknesses of the defect layer and the system as a whole, the position of the defect layer, and the dielectric boundaries on the features of the defect modes have been analyzed. It is shown that when the CLC layer is thin the density of states and emission intensity are maximum for the defect mode, whereas when the CLC layer is thick, these peaks are observed at the edges of the photonic band gap. Similarly, when the gain is low, the density of states and emission intensity are maximum for the defect mode, whereas at high gains these peaks are also observed at the edges of the photonic band gap. The possibilities of low-threshold lasing and obtaining high-Q microcavities have been investigated.