Simulation on the Photonic Bandgap of 1-D Plasma Photonic Crystals

Abstract

In this paper, the effect of plasma density on the photonic bandgap of 1-D plasma photonic crystals (PPCs) has been investigated numerically based on the finite-element method. In the region where frequency is below the cutoff frequency, the transverse electric (TE) mode bandgaps exist due to the surface modes, such as the bandgaps in metallic photonic crystals; above the cutoff frequency, the positive permittivity bandgaps for TE mode, such as the bandgaps in conventional photonic crystals, are a consequence of the periodic distribution of dielectric constant in plasma and background medium. The bandgaps of the all-PPCs are strongly dependent on the plasma density, and the bandgap that forms at conditions near the cutoff frequency may be mutated if the changes of the plasma density are sufficiently obvious.