Field distribution of a light wave near a magnetic defect in one-dimensional photonic crystals

Abstract

The field distribution of a light wave near a magnetic defect in a one-dimensional photonic crystal is analyzed. It is shown that, by properly varying the magnetic defect thickness or the parameters of the photonic crystal surrounding the defect, one can create a situation where the electric field of a light wave will be localized predominantly inside the magnetic layer or, conversely, in the immediate vicinity of the layer surface. This opens up possibilities for optimizing the Q factor of a magnetic microcavity in the presence of dissipation in the magnetic layer and, hence, for enhancing the linear and nonlinear magneto-optical effects. The possibility of separating the contributions from the surface and volume of the magnetic material to the nonlinear magnetooptical properties by properly varying the field distribution over the defect thickness is discussed.