Anomalous modal structure in a waveguide with a photonic crystal core

We analyze a dielectric waveguide with a photonic crystal core. Using constant frequency contour analysis, we show that the modal behavior of this structure is drastically different from that of a conventional slab waveguide. In particular, at a given frequency the lowest-order guided mode can have an odd symmetry or can have more than one nodal plane in its field distribution. Also, there exist several single-mode regions with a different modal profile in each region. Finally, a single-mode waveguide for the fundamental mode with a large core and strong confinement can be realized. All these behaviors are confirmed by our three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain simulations.