Low group velocity in a photonic crystal coupled-cavity waveguide

A two-dimensional photonic crystal coupled-cavity waveguide is designed and optimized, the transmission spectrum is calculated by using the finite-difference time-domain method, and the group velocity of c/1856 is obtained. To our knowledge, this value of group velocity is the lowest group velocity in a photonic crystal waveguide calculated from its transmission spectrum so far. The result is confirmed by the photonic band structure calculated by using the plane wave expansion method, and it is found that the photonic crystal waveguide modes in a photonic band structure are in accordance with those in the transmission spectrum by using the finite-difference time-domain method. The mechanism of slow light in the coupled-cavity waveguide of photonic crystal is analysed.