Trapping and releasing light by mechanical implementation in metamaterial waveguides

Abstract

We show that light trapping and releasing can be switched by a mechanic tuning effect in metamaterial waveguides. The transition mechanism between the trapping and releasing states relies on the synergetic effect of the local Bragg reflection and cavity resonance in the waveguides. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, a heterostructured metamaterial waveguide comprised of dielectric claddings and a tapered metamaterial core formed by arrays of metal slats is analytically and numerically investigated. The spatial separation of the trapped light with various frequencies and the transition between the trapping and releasing states can be predicted by a "rainbow equation." The proposed light trapping and releasing scheme based on the mechanical implementation of waveguide geometrical parameters can be exploited to develop opto-mechanical devices for slow light technology.