Nonmagnetic Photonic Crystals Research Articles

Design of T-Type Nonreciprocal Two Channel Filter Based on Non-Magnetic Photonic Crystal

Design of T-Type Nonreciprocal Two Channel Filter Based on Non-Magnetic Photonic Crystal

Unidirectional oblique propagation of exciton-polaritons in hybrid photonic crystals

In this work we study theoretically the axial spectral asymmetry of a 1D hybrid (isotropic and anisotropic) photonic crystal for photon energies close to the electronic energy gaps of semiconductors (excitons). The non-normal optical properties of these resonant non-magnetic photonic crystals will be computed in the framework of exciton-polariton, by self-consistent solutions of the Maxwell-Schrödinger equations in the effective mass approximation. The tailoring of the hybrid photonic crystals, performed by implementing a simple two-layer “minimum model”, and novel optical properties, due to the unidirectional polariton propagation, will be discussed.

One-dimensional magnetic photonic crystal structures with wide absolute bandgaps

The photonic absolute bandgaps have many potential applications in specific fields, and some methods to enlarge the absolute bandgaps, such as adjusting the material and the rotational symmetry, constituting a heterostructure have been explored. Recently, with the occurring of metamaterial, the photonic crystal based on metamaterial has also realized the wide absolute bandgaps. However, the metamaterial is an artificially structured material of which the construction is more complicated. In this paper, one-dimensional magnetic photonic crystal structure with wide absolute bandgaps is proposed, which is composed of two kinds of magnetic materials with the same refractive index and physical thickness but different wave impedances. First of all, the transmission properties of one-dimensional magnetic and non-magnetic photonic crystals with the same wave impedance ratio are studied by using transfer matrix method. It is shown that the normalized frequency bandwidth of magnetic photonic crystal, i. e. the ratio of the band of bandgap to its center, is 0.41, while the normalized frequency bandwidth of the non-magnetic photonic crystal is 0.14. From the results, we can conclude that the absolute bandgap of the above magnetic photonic crystal is wider than that of non-magnetic photonic crystal because the former bandgap is not sensitive to the incident angle nor polarization. Secondly, we adjust the wave impedance ratios of the two kinds of magnetic materials and make them respectively reach 2, 4 and 6, with the refractive index and the physical thickness kept unchanged. By analyzing their transmission properties, it is found that the normalized frequency bandwidths of the absolute bandgaps are respectively 0.47, 0.84 and 1.03, and the greater the difference between the two wave impedances, the wider the normalized frequency bandwidth is. Thirdly, we investigate the influence of the per-layer physical thickness of the magnetic material on the bandgap, with the other parameters remaining unchanged. It is shown that the center of the absolute bandgap shifts toward high frequency with the decrease of the per-layer physical thickness. Finally, a kind of heterostructure is constructed by the above two one-dimensional magnetic photonic crystals. The normalized frequency ranges of the first and the second absolute bandgap of one magnetic photonic crystal structure are respectively 1.18-2.85 and 5.37-6.85. The normalized frequency range of the absolute bandgap of the other magnetic photonic crystal is 2.37-5.68. The normalized frequency range of the absolute bandgap of the heterostructure can be enlarged to 1.18-6.85 and the corresponding normalized frequency bandwidth can reach more than 1.41. The wide absolute bandgaps can be applied to integrated optics, optical fiber communication and high-power laser systems, according to which we may design the polarization-independent and omnidirectional devices such as reflectors, optical switchers and optical filters.

Waveguide modes of 1D photonic crystals in a transverse magnetic field

We analyze waveguide modes in 1D photonic crystals containing layers magnetized in the plane. It is shown that the magnetooptical nonreciprocity effect emerges in such structures during the propagation of waveguide modes along the layers and perpendicularly to the magnetization. This effect involves a change in the phase velocity of the mode upon reversal of the direction of magnetization. Comparison of the effects in a nonmagnetic photonic crystal with an additional magnetic layer and in a photonic crystal with magnetic layers shows that the magnitude of this effect is several times larger in the former case in spite of the fact that the electromagnetic field of the modes in the latter case is localized in magnetic regions more strongly. This is associated with asymmetry of the dielectric layers contacting with the magnetic layer in the former case. This effect is important for controlling waveguide structure modes with the help of an external magnetic field.

Transverse magnetic field impact on waveguide modes of photonic crystals.

This Letter presents a theoretical and experimental study of waveguide modes of one-dimensional magneto-photonic crystals magnetized in the in-plane direction. It is shown that the propagation constants of the TM waveguide modes are sensitive to the transverse magnetization and the spectrum of the transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect has resonant features at mode excitation frequencies. Two types of structures are considered: a non-magnetic photonic crystal with an additional magnetic layer on top and a magneto-photonic crystal with a magnetic layer within each period. We found that the magneto-optical non-reciprocity effect is greater in the first case: it has a magnitude of δ∼10-4, while the second structure type demonstrates δ∼10-5 only, due to the higher asymmetry of the claddings of the magnetic layer. Experimental observations show resonant features in the optical and magneto-optical Kerr effect spectra. The measured dispersion properties are in good agreement with the theoretical predictions. An amplitude of light intensity modulation of up to 2.5% was observed for waveguide mode excitation within the magnetic top layer of the non-magnetic photonic crystal structure. The presented theoretical approach may be utilized for the design of magneto-optical sensors and modulators requiring pre-determined spectral features.

Nonreciprocal optical properties in resonant hybrid photonic crystals

The present work is devoted to the theoretical study of the nonreciprocal optical properties in hybrid (isotropic and anisotropic) periodic multilayers for photon energy values chosen close to the electronic energy gaps of semiconductors (excitons). The optical properties of these resonant nonmagnetic photonic crystals, where linear and quadratic spatial dispersion effects are both present, will be studied in the framework of exciton-polariton self-consistent solutions of the Maxwell and Schr\"odinger equations in the effective-mass approximation. The main interesting optical properties, namely, giant transmission, absorption suppression, and optical unidirectional propagation, will be computed by implementing a two-layer ``minimum model.''

Magnetic control of waveguide modes of Bragg structures

We present the study of the waveguide modes of one-dimensional magnetic photonic crystals with in-plane-magnetized layers. There is a magneto-optical effect of nonreciprocity for the TM-modes propagating along the layers perpendicularly to the magnetization. Due to the non-reciprocity the phase velocity of the modes changes with magnetization reversal. Comparison of the effect in the non-magnetic photonic crystal with additional magnetic layer on top and a magnetophotonic crystal with altering magnetic layers shows that the effect is greater in the first case due to the higher asymmetry of the claddings of the magnetic layer. This effect is important for the light modulation with external magnetic field in waveguide structures and may be used for design of novel types of the magneto-optical devices, sensors of magnetic field or biosensors.

Artificial Periodic Magnetic Structures for Photonic and High Frequency Micro-magnetic Devices

Magnetophotonic crystals and magnonic crystals having periodic structures formed band gaps by interference of waves. A one-dimensional magnetophotonic crystal (1D-MPC), which exhibits optical Tamm state at the interface between magnetic and nonmagnetic photonic crystals (PCs), shows resonant transmissivity and large enhancement of Faraday rotation at the localized mode inside the photonic band gap. We developed two-dimensional magnetophotonic crystals (2D-MPCs) on various types of templates with periodical structures. A 2D-MPC with multi-layers formed on a periodic 1D line resist template has several photonic band gaps with enhanced magneto-optical (MO) effects. In a structural garnet film formed on the opal template, a significant enhancement of MO response was obtained at edges of band gaps. Magnonic crystal with Cu metal strips formed on YIG surface showed high sensitivity of 11400 %/Oe as a magnetic sensor. In addition, enhanced MO effect was demonstrated by plasmonic composite films with noble metal particles and magnetic garnet.

Optical Tamm States in One-Dimensional Magnetophotonic Structures

We demonstrate the existence of a spectrally narrow localized surface state, the so-called optical Tamm state, at the interface between one-dimensional magnetophotonic and nonmagnetic photonic crystals. The state is spectrally located inside the photonic band gaps of each of the photonic crystals comprising this magnetophotonic structure. This state is associated with a sharp transmission peak through the sample and is responsible for the substantial enhancement of the Faraday rotation for the corresponding wavelength. The experimental results are in excellent agreement with the theoretical predictions.

Surface state peculiarities in one-dimensional photonic crystal interfaces

We study the optical properties of a photonic crystal interfaced with a uniform medium with the negative dielectric constant or with another photonic crystal. We show that, at such an interface, nonpropagating surface states may arise. These states result in a sharp feature in the transmission and reflection spectra of the system. We also show that interfacing magnetic and nonmagnetic photonic crystals gives rise to giant Faraday and Kerr effects.

TM–TE hybridization and tunable refraction in magnetophotonic crystals

In the present work we study the photonic band structure (PBS) and the polarization state of the Bloch eigenmodes of a two-dimensional magnetophotonic crystal (MPC) with square lattice formed from magneto-optically (MO) active cylinders. The refraction of light at the boundary of the MPC is analyzed. We found that both—the PBS and eigenmodes of the MPC—are most significantly altered by the MO activity in the vicinity of the degeneracies. For this case we demonstrated the possibility of an abrupt change in the propagation direction of light by the application of a magnetic field. For the Bloch wave vectors and frequencies corresponding to non-degenerate branches, the alteration of the PBS is shown to be negligible and eigenmodes almost completely coincide with linearly TE- and/or TM-polarized eigenmodes of the non-magnetic photonic crystal.

Homogenization of magnetodielectric photonic crystals.

We calculate the low-frequency index of refraction of a medium which is homogeneous along axis z and possesses a periodic dependence of the permittivity epsilon(r) and permeability micro(r) in the x-y plane (2D magnetodielectric photonic crystal). Exact analytical formulas for the effective index of refraction for two eigenmodes with vector E or H polarized along axis z are obtained. We show that, unlike nonmagnetic photonic crystals where the E mode is ordinary and the H mode is extraordinary, now both modes exhibit extraordinary behavior. Because of this distinction, the magnetodielectric photonic crystals exhibit optical properties that do not exist for natural crystals. We also discuss the limiting case of perfectly conducting cylinders and clarify the so-called problem of noncommuting limits, omega-->0 and epsilon--> infinity.

Dielectric photonic crystal as medium with negative electric permittivity and magnetic permeability

We show that the two-dimensional photonic crystal (PC) made from a non-magnetic dielectric is a left-handed material in the sense defined by Veselago. Namely, it has negative values for both the electric permittivity ϵ and the magnetic permeability μ in some frequency range. This follows from a recently proven general theorem. The negative values of ϵ and μ are found by a numerical simulation. Using values | ϵ| and | μ| for the medium surrounding the PC slab we simulate the Veselago lens, a unique optical device predicted by Veselago. An approximate analytical theory is proposed to calculate the values of ϵ and μ from the PC band structure. It gives the results that are close to those obtained by the numerical simulation. The theory explains how a non-zero magnetization arises in a non-magnetic PC.

Magnetization-induced second harmonic generation in magnetophotonic microcavities based on ferrite garnets

Magnetization-induced second harmonic generation was observed in magnetophotonic microcavities consisting of a ferromagnetic yttrium-iron garnet layer surrounded by nonmagnetic photonic crystals (Bragg reflectors). At resonance between the fundamental radiation and the microcavity mode in the geometry of polar magnetooptical Kerr effect, the polarization rotation for the second harmonic was found to be (18.5±0.5)°/μm for the fundamental radiation with a wavelength of 825 nm.