Surface plasmon polariton at the interface of dielectric and graphene medium using Kerr effect

We theoretically investigate the control of surface plasmon polariton(SPP) generated at the interface of dielectric and graphene medium under Kerr nonlinearity. The controlled Kerr nonlinear signal of probe light beam in a dielectric medium is used to generate SPPs at the interface of dielectric and graphene medium. The positive, negative absorption, and dispersion properties of SPPs are modified and controlled by the control and Kerr fields. A large amplification(negative absorption) is noted for SPPs under the Kerr nonlinearity. The normal/anomalous slope of dispersion and propagation length of SPPs is modified and controlled with Kerr nonlinearity. This leads to significant variation in slow and fast SPP propagation. The controlled slow and fast SPP propagation may predict significant applications in nano-photonics, optical tweezers, photovoltaic devices, plasmonster, and sensing technology.     

Coupling into slow-mode photonic crystal waveguides

We study efficient injectors for coupling light from z-invariant ridge waveguides into slow Bloch modes of single-row defect photonic crystal waveguides. Two-dimensional vectorial computations performed with a Bloch mode theory approach predict that very high efficiencies (>90%) can be achieved for injector lengths of only a few wavelengths in length, even for small group velocities in the range of c/100-c/400. This result suggests that photonic crystal devices operating with slow waves can be interfaced with classical waveguides without sacrificing compactness.     

Proprietes optiques,elastiques et elasto-optiques du KRS6

KRS6, a commercially available crystal, was found to be a good material for acousto-optical devices using visible light. It has some high figures of merit and can be found in good optical qualities and large size. The dispersion of the photoelastic coefficients and the refractive index have been measured using fifteen lines of a Kr-Ar laser.     

Ultrahigh-contrast and wideband nanoscale photonic crystal all-optical diode

We experimentally realize a nanoscale all-optical diode in a photonic crystal heterostructure with broken spatial inversion symmetry, performing independent of optical nonlinearity. The physical mechanism lies in unique dispersion relations of the photonic crystal and the transition of incident light between different electromagnetic Bloch modes. An ultrahigh transmission contrast of 10(3) order, a large operating bandwidth of over 50 nm, and an ultralow photon intensity of less than 10 kW/cm(2) are reached simultaneously.     

Bloch oscillations for circularly polarized light

All previous investigations on the Bloch oscillations of waves focus on scalar waves. Here we demonstrate, for the first time, the existence of Bloch oscillations of vector fields for circularly polarized light (CPL) propagating through a designed liquid crystal structure. To obtain the Wannier-Stark ladder of the CPL, we have designed a cholesteric liquid crystal structure with spatially varying pitch. The Bloch oscillations of the CPL have been observed in such a structure by exact numerical simulations. We have also shown that such a phenomenon can be easily detected in time-resolved reflection experiments.     

Surface phonon polariton characteristics of bulk wurtzite ZnO crystal

The surface phonon polariton (SPP) mode of bulk wurtzite (α-) zinc oxide (ZnO) crystal is investigated by means of p-polarized infrared attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectroscopy. From the ATR spectrum, a strong absorption dip corresponds to the SPP mode of bulk α-ZnO is clearly observed at 529 cm⁻¹. The experimental SPP mode showed good agreement with the theoretical SPP mode deduced from the surface polariton dispersion curve generated by the semi-infinite anisotropic crystal model.     

A novel phase-sensitive scanning near-field optical microscope

Phase is one of the most important parameters of electromagnetic waves. It is the phase distribution that determines the propagation, reflection, refraction, focusing, divergence, and coupling features of light, and further affects the intensity distribution. In recent years, the designs of surface plasmon polariton(SPP) devices have mostly been based on the phase modulation and manipulation. Here we demonstrate a phase sensitive multi-parameter heterodyne scanning near-field optical microscope(SNOM) with an aperture probe in the visible range, with which the near field optical phase and amplitude distributions can be simultaneously obtained. A novel architecture combining a spatial optical path and a fiber optical path is employed for stability and flexibility. Two kinds of typical nano-photonic devices are tested with the system. With the phase-sensitive SNOM, the phase and amplitude distributions of any nano-optical field and localized field generated with any SPP nano-structures and irregular phase modulation surfaces can be investigated. The phase distribution and the interference pattern will help us to gain a better understanding of how light interacts with SPP structures and how SPP waves generate, localize, convert, and propagate on an SPP surface. This will be a significant guidance on SPP nano-structure design and optimization.     

Anomalous behaviour in a Bragg reflection waveguide

A novel asymmetric Bragg reflection waveguide (BRW) showing anomalous dispersion characteristic is presented. The abnormal behaviour of increase of modal effective index with wavelength is primarily caused by the changes taking place in the imaginary part of the Bloch wavevector, in the periodic stratified cladding. The phase velocity and the group velocity dispersion characteristics for the waveguide have also been analyzed. Such an anomalous behaviour can find applications in the design of integrated optical devices.     

A comparative study of dispersion relation of EM waves in ternary one-dimensional plasma photonic crystals having two different structures

In this paper, a rigorous theoretical analysis has been made to study the dispersion relation of EM waves in periodic ternary one-dimensional photonic crystal having two different structures. In one case we have chosen glass-plasma and ZnS in one unit cell and in other case we have considered glass-plasma and M_gF₂ in one unit cell. Using Kronig-Penney model the dispersion relation for proposed structures has been obtained and numerical results are presented in the form of dispersion curves. The dependence of photonic band gap (PBG) characteristics on plasma frequency, plasma width and the width of dielectric media are discussed in the light of frequency gap and cutoffs of binary one-dimensional plasma photonic crystal. An attempt has been made to show how the PBG characteristic of a particular structure changes when the dielectric materials of its unit cell is changed by the other dielectric material. It is found that the structure having glass-plasma-ZnS in unit cell is more useful for broad band filtering and other plasma functioning devices compared to the structure having glass-plasma-MgF₂ in one unit cell.     

Observation of trapped light induced by Dwarf Dirac-cone in out-of-plane condition for photonic crystals

Existence of out-of-plane conical dispersion for a triangular photonic crystal lattice is reported. It is observed that conical dispersion is maintained for a number of out-of-plane wave vectors(k_z). We study a case where Dirac like linear dispersion exists but the photonic density of states is not vanishing, called Dwarf Dirac cone(DDC) which does not support localized modes. We demonstrate the trapping of such modes by introducing defects in the crystal. Interestingly, we find by k-point sampling as well as by tuning trapped frequency that such a conical dispersion has an inherent light confining property and it is governed by neither of the known wave confining mechanisms like total internal reflection, band gap guidance. Our study reveals that such a conical dispersion in a non-vanishing photonic density of states induces unexpected intense trapping of light compared with those at other points in the continuum. Such studies provoke fabrication of new devices with exciting properties and new functionalities.     

Effect of dimensionality on the spectra of hybrid plasmonic-photonic crystals

Based on colloidal crystals of various dimensionality, hybrid metal-dielectric plasmonic-photonic heterocrystals have been prepared. It has been shown that the spectra of optical transmission of heterocrystals are mostly controlled by the sum of contributions of composing plasmonic and photonic crystals. At the same time, there are a number of phenomena caused by the mutual effect of heterostructure components, which lead to a deviation of observed optical properties from the linear superposition of responses of these crystals. In particular, it has been found that the anomalous transmission controlled by the plasmonic crystal decreases with increasing the dimensionality of the photonic crystal attached to it. At the same time, light reflection on a metallized surface changes light diffraction in photonic crystals and leads to Fabry-Perot oscillation amplification. It has been assumed that an intermediate layer is formed, in which Bloch modes of the photonic crystal and surface plasmon-polaritons of the plasmonic crystal are hybridized.     

An asymptotic approximation of multiple-scattering theory in very-low-energy electron diffraction from a metal surface

An asymptotic approximation of multiple-scattering theory has been used to analyze the intensity of very-low-energy-electron diffraction (VLEED). An analytic expression relating the amplitudes of the Bloch waves excited in a crystal (and, hence, the VLEED intensities) to the critical zone points of an infinite crystal has been obtained. The possibilities of the new approach are compared with a calculation of partial electron-transmission coefficients made by the matching method employed conventionally in interpretation of VLEED data. While providing a comparable accuracy, the proposed approach is fairly simple and free of the instabilities inherent in matching-method calculations. The explicit connection of the quantities obtained by this method with the electron dispersion relation for an infinite crystal makes it promising for analysis of band-structure effects in VLEED and photoemission experiments. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 2105–2108 (December 1999)     

Suppression of radiative losses of surface polaritons on nanostructured thin metal films

The strong electromagnetic coupling between surface plasmon polariton modes on opposite interfaces of a finite thickness periodically nanostructured metal film has been studied. Surface polariton dispersion and associated electromagnetic field distributions have been analyzed. It was shown that at a frequency that corresponds to the crossing of film Bloch modes of different symmetries, the radiative losses of surface polaritons that are related to the polaritons' coupling to light during propagation on the structured surface are suppressed.     

Extraordinary optical transmission through metal gratings with single and double grooved surfaces

We investigate the transmission properties of a normally incident TM plane wave through metal films with periodic parabolic-shaped grooves on single and double surfaces using the finite-difference-time-domain method. Nearly zero transmission efficiency is found at wavelengths corresponding to surface plasmon excitation on a flat surface in the case where the single surface is grooved. Meanwhile, resonant excitation of surface plasmon polariton (SPP) Bloch modes leads to a strong transmission peak at slightly larger wavelengths. When the grating is grooved on double surfaces, the transmission enhancement can be dramatically improved due to the resonant tunnelling between SPP Bloch modes.     

与色散介质毗邻的一维半无限光子晶体表面态

运用Bloch定理和传输矩阵方法,研究了与色散介质毗邻的由两种材料组成的半无限一维光子晶体局域表面态的电场和色散关系.和以空气为背景的一维光子晶体相比,毗邻色散介质的光子晶体表面模色散曲线在一定堆积次序下会在较低的带隙中发生断开,较高带隙中的表面模群速度在不同堆积次序下会有很大差异.当与色散介质毗邻的物质折射率较大时,较高带隙中的表面模群速度较小；与色散介质毗邻的物质折射率较小时,较高带隙中表面模的群速度较大.     

Slow light pulse propagation in dispersive media

We present a theoretical and numerical analysis of pulse propagation in a semiconductor photonic crystal waveguide with embedded quantum dots in a regime where the pulse is subjected to both waveguide and material dispersion. The group index and the transmission are investigated by finite-difference-time-domain Maxwell–Bloch simulations and compared to analytic results. For long pulses the group index (transmission) for the combined system is significantly enhanced (reduced) relative to slow light based on purely material or waveguide dispersion. Shorter pulses are strongly distorted and depending on parameters broadening or break-up of the pulse may be observed. The transition from linear to nonlinear pulse propagation is quantified in terms of the spectral width of the pulse. To cite this article: T.R. Nielsen et al., C. R. Physique 10 (2009).     

超表面上表面等离激元波的光栅衍射行为研究

本文利用严格数值仿真研究了550~700 nm波段的可见光通过金属光栅耦合方式激发的表面等离激元(SPP)波在金属表面的光栅衍射行为与现象。研究结果表明:SPP波在金属表面的衍射行为与自由空间光相比有极大不同,由于SPP波的近场属性,经金属光栅衍射后在近场可表现出明显的光栅分光现象,但经过一段传输距离后则分光现象消失而表现为不同级次的光合为同一束光;在近场衍射情况下,其情况与自由空间光衍射行为类似,对SPP亚波长金属光栅来说同样只有零级透射光;而当金属光栅周期大于SPP波长时,高级衍射级次则开始出现。研究结果对下一步在金属表面上实现微米级片光谱仪器具有重要借鉴意义。     

新型二维压电声子晶体板带隙可调性研究

设计了一种由涂有硬质材料涂层的柱状压电散射体周期性连接在四个环氧树脂薄板上构成的具有大带宽的新型二维压电声子晶体板,并利用有限元方法计算了该声子晶体板的能带结构、传输损失谱和位移矢量场.研究表明：与二组元材料构成的传统声子晶体板相比,新设计的声子晶体板的第一完全带隙频率更低,并且带宽扩大了5倍;通过在压电体表面上施加不同的电边界条件,可以实现多条完全带隙的主动调控;压电效应对能带结构有很大的影响,并且有利于完全带隙的扩大与形成.基于带隙的可调谐性,分析了可切换路径的压电声子晶体板波导,结果表明可以通过改变电边界条件来限制弹性波能量流.     

Effect of graphene oxide dispersion in antiferroelectric liquid crystal mixture in the verge of SmC* to SmCA* phase transition

The continuous growing demand for nanoscience applications and the improvement in the performance of liquid crystal based devices has been extensively required by the technological world. Recent progress in the field of liquid crystals has found its practical implementation in various display and non display devices which experiences obstacle due to impurity effects that reduces its performance. The dispersion of nanoparticles in liquid crystal medium helps in the reduction of impurity ions and thus improving the performance of liquid crystal based devices. The present work is based on the collective dielectric relaxation processes that have been observed in antiferroelectric liquid crystal (AFLC) mixture W1000 dispersed with 0.1% wt/wt and 0.3% wt/wt concentrations of graphene oxide. Graphene oxide itself favors vertical alignment and the coupling of AFLC W1000 mixture with graphene oxide affects its molecular ordering. This has been confirmed from the polarizing optical micrographs. The dielectric relaxation modes have been observed with and without the application of bias voltage in SmC* to SmC_A* phase transition during cooling cycle. The appearance and disappearance of P_L, P_H and X modes have been observed and are explained on the basis of molecular interactions. Graphene oxide dispersed system favors homeotropic alignment (dark state) and the application of bias field will convert it into homogenous alignment (bright state). Graphene oxide dispersion find prospective applications in good contrast display devices, supercapacitors, electronic gadgets, rechargeable batteries. Electro optical results unveil the faster response time, decreased rotational viscosity and spontaneous polarization with no change in tilt angle for the dispersed system. These observations can be exploited in photonic switches with sub millisecond response time which are required for fabricating faster liquid crystal devices.     

Shear Surface Wave on a Moving Bloch Wall

Using Galileo's transformation for moving to the rest frame of the Bloch wall in the exchange-free magnetostatic approximation, we obtain the dispersion relation for a shear surface wave guided by a moving 180-degree domain boundary of a ferromagnetic crystal. It is found that the motion of the domain boundary has the orienting action on the wave normal of the shear surface wave and significantly changes the spectrum of forward-propagating waves in the frequency band below the scattered-field ferromagnetic resonance.