Polarization anisotropy of optical transmission in opals and Langmuir-Blodgett crystals

The transmission spectra of thin-film colloidal photonic crystals with three-dimensional and one-dimensional-two-dimensional photonic energy band structures, i.e., opals and Langmuir-Blodgett crystals with a refractive index contrast of ∼1.5: 1.0, have been measured in linearly polarized light. It has been demonstrated that the polarization anisotropy in the light transmitted through the crystal is uniquely related to the diffraction resonance and that the degree of polarization can exceed 90%. A higher degree of polarization is provided by lattices that are characterized by a smaller attenuation of light polarized in the plane of incidence. It has been revealed that the diffraction resonances from the crystal planes for which the dispersions are in anticrossing with the dispersion of the growth planes acquire the same anisotropy. The general character of the results obtained has been confirmed by the fact that the polarization anisotropy identically manifests itself in colloidal crystals that have different symmetries and lattice orderings.     

Optical Anisotropy of Photonic Crystals of Cubic Symmetry Induced by Multiple Diffraction of Light

The optical spectra of Bragg reflection from opal-like photonic crystals under conditions of the resonant enhancement of the multiple diffraction of light have been studied experimentally and theoretically using the photonic crystal structures prepared of monodisperse polystyrene globules. It is shown that the reflection signal registered in mutually orthogonal configurations of the polarizer and analyzer is related to the intrinsic optical anisotropy of the crystals and is a specific manifestation of the multiple Bragg diffraction in three-dimensional photonic crystals.     

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.     

Specific features of the emission of chiral photonic crystals with an anisotropic defect: I. Thickness effects

The specific features of defect modes of chiral photonic crystals with an anisotropic defect have been investigated. Peculiarities of the spectra of polarization observables of the system under consideration are analyzed at different thicknesses of the defect layer. It is shown that single refraction occurs in a defect mode, even though the system is anisotropic and inhomogeneous. We also investigated the specific features of the spectra of the photon density of states, light intensity at the defect center, and the Q factor of defect modes at different thicknesses of the defect layer and chiral photonic crystals. It is shown that the lasing wavelength of chiral photonic crystals with an anisotropic defect enriched in laser dyes (resonant atoms) can be controlled in a different way: by varying the defect layer thickness. It is shown that this system can operate as a narrow-band filter (mirror) with a controlled frequency width and location of the total transmission (reflection) range on the frequency scale.     

Mode density inside an omnidirectional mirror is heavily directional but not small

We show that ominidirectional reflection is not a sufficient signature of a photonic bandgap. Although dramatic angular redistribution takes place, the mode density of the electromagnetic field is hardly altered within the ominidirectional reflection range but rather has characteristics typical of a waveguide. The strikingly large polarization anisotropy is due to the huge dielectric contrast but not to a photonic bandgap.     

Slow light in photonic crystals

The problem of slowing down light by orders of magnitude has been extensively discussed in the literature. Such a possibility can be useful in a variety of optical and microwave applications. Many qualitatively different approaches have been explored. Here we discuss how this goal can be achieved in linear dispersive media, such as photonic crystals. The existence of slowly propagating electromagnetic waves in photonic crystals is quite obvious and well known. The main problem, though, has been how to convert the input radiation into the slow mode without losing a significant portion of the incident light energy to absorption, reflection, etc. We show that the so-called frozen mode regime offers a unique solution to the above problem. Under the frozen mode regime, the incident light enters the photonic crystal with little reflection and, subsequently, is completely converted into the frozen mode with huge amplitude and almost zero group velocity. The linearity of the above effect allows the slowing of light regardless of its intensity. An additional advantage of photonic crystals over other methods of slowing down light is that photonic crystals can preserve both time and space coherence of the input electromagnetic wave.     

Imaging single quantum dots in three-dimensional photonic crystals

Performing fluorescence wide-field microscopy we have imaged single semiconductor quantum dots deep inside a 3-dimensional photonic crystal prepared from colloidal polymer beads. Exploring the emission diffraction patterns in defocused images of quantum dots we demonstrate that the direction-dependent photonic stop band imprints an anisotropy to the angular emission of a single quantum dot. Hence a single, quasi-point-like emitter is manipulated to radiate its photons only to certain well-defined directions by means of the anisotropic light propagation in photonic crystals. The experiments thus provide new routes to evaluate local, frequency selective optical properties in 3-dimensional photonic crystals employing single emitters.     

表层厚度渐变一维耦合腔光子晶体的反射相位特性及其应用

利用传输矩阵法研究了表层厚度渐变的一维非对称耦合腔光子晶体的反射相位特性. 研究表明, 光子禁带内(包括缺陷模附近)的反射率在98%以上, 且基本不受表层厚度影响, 特别是, 在非正入射情况下, 简并的缺陷模随着表层厚度的变化会发生分裂; 进一步研究发现, 在缺陷模分裂处附近, TE, TM偏振的反射相位以及它们之间的相位差均敏感地依赖于表层厚度的变化, 从而使得反射光的偏振态也随表层厚度的变化而敏感变化, 其物理机理在于缺陷模分裂所造成的剧烈相位变化. 基于上述特性, 设计了一种表层厚度呈二维周期变化的一维光子晶体结构, 从该结构反射的激光经透镜聚焦后, 在聚焦区域同时存在各种偏振态(包括沿不同方向的线偏振、左旋或右旋圆偏振、椭圆偏振等)的子光束, 它们叠加后在聚焦区域将产生具有无规相位和无规偏振态的光场. 以上结果能有效降低激光的相干性, 在激光核聚变等领域有潜在的应用价值.     

Reflection,Transmission, and Scattering of Light by Photonic Crystals Based on Opal Films

The spectroscopic methods with angular resolution are used to perform an integrated experimental study of optical phenomena (Bragg's reflection, transmission, and scattering of light) in photonic crystals based on opal films. The anisotropy of optical properties and the influence of the photonic band structure on optical spectra of specimens are detected in all examined cases.     

二氧化硅胶体球自组装光子晶体的研究

光子晶体由于具有光子带隙和光子局域等一系列优异的光学特性而受到了人们广泛的关注。由于采用胶体颗粒自组装法制备光子晶体制备工艺简单,所需要的费用也较低,因此已成为制备可见光至红外波段三维光子晶体的一种简便有效的方法。采用垂直沉积法制得了三维光子晶体薄膜,并用扫描电子显微镜和紫外-可见光-近红外分光光度计对其显微结构和光学特性进行了详细的研究。结果表明,自组装薄膜在三维方向上都具有有序结构,其密排面平行于载波片的表面。制备的光子晶体薄膜具有明显的光子带隙特性,带隙中心波长为956nm。研究了带隙中心波长同入射线与密排面法线夹角之间的变化关系,其结果与理论值吻合得很好。     

Design of an omnidirectional band gap independent of ambient media refractive indices by using a heterostructure magnetic photonic crystal

This paper aims to study the general conditions under which omnidirectional band gaps (OBGs) are achieved by using heterostructure magnetic photonic crystals (HMPCs). These structures contain periodic layers with alternative dielectric permittivity and magnetic permeability. The proposed design offers the stacking of two magnetic photonic crystals (MPCs), where one MPC has Brewster’s angle at TE polarization and another has the angle at TM polarization. The propagation of electromagnetic waves is investigated by means of the transfer matrix method. Also, the total reflection frequency range for any incident angle and polarization is discussed in this paper. As a conclusion, although each MPC has no OBG individually, the proposed HMPC may contain an OBG. The main advantage of the proposed design is that the obtained OBG is independent of the ambient media refractive index. Therefore, it can be used in engineering omnireflectors in integrated photonics.     

Anisotropy of light propagation in thin opal films

Thin opal films are prepared by crystallization in a moving meniscus, and their optical transmission spectra are recorded in polarized light and studied. It is shown that the anisotropy of light propagation in the films is unambiguously related to the photonic band structure of opal and depends on the angle of incidence, the orientation of the incidence plane with respect to the opal lattice, and the wavelength and polarization of the incident light. Azimuthal diagrams of transmitted polarized light are constructed in the range of photonic band gaps of three orders for oblique incidence of a light beam. The anisotropy is found to vary with the light wave-length independently in perpendicular polarizations. A model of the band structure of opal wherein opal is represented as an fcc lattice of close-packed spheres adequately describes the optical transmission of opal films only in the range of the first-order photonic band gap.     

含负折射率材料的一维光子晶体的光学传输特性

采用光学传输矩阵方法,模拟研究了由正折射率材料和负折射率材料交替组成的一维光子晶体的光学传输特性.计算了这种含负折射率材料的一维光子晶体的透射谱和色散关系.结果表明,在正入射时,含负折射率材料的光子晶体的带隙要比传统的光子晶体要大得多,并具有狭窄的透射带,从光学薄膜理论的色散关系出发解释了形成上述现象的原因.讨论了在不同的偏振模式下,光以中心波长入射时,反射率随着入射角度的变化关系.发现含负折射率材料的一维光子晶体具有更好的角度特性,可以用来实现对中心波长的全方位反射.     

SiO2纳米微球表面结构在可见光波段的减反特性

研究了不同尺寸SiO2胶体微球形成纳米结构薄膜的光学传输特性和光子带隙。通过在玻璃基底上自组装透光的SiO2胶体微球形成胶体晶体薄膜, 依据布拉格定律,分析微球尺寸对胶体晶体光子带隙的影响。为实现可见光波段的全方位减反射,提出通过改变胶体粒径将胶体晶体带隙位置移动至紫外波段,理论计算得出当粒径为112 nm,占空比为0.45时能实现可见光波段0.5%的平均反射率。实验结果表明,玻璃基底在400~800 nm间的平均反射率从4.3%降低至0.7%,最小反射率达0.3%。通过控制微球粒径移动光子带隙位置,优化晶体结构参数实现了可见光波段的减反射,有效提高了光学组件对可见光的利用率。     

Birefringence in porous anodic aluminum oxide

Birefringence properties of a disordered two-dimensional photonic crystal are demonstrated experimentally for the first time. It is proposed to use porous anodic aluminum oxide, which has anisotropy on the scale of the wavelength of light, as a new birefringent material in the optical range. An original method for studying the birefringence properties of two-dimensional photonic crystals based on the use of monochromatic light is described.     

Unique optical properties of anisotropic helical structures in a Fabry-Perot cavity

Anisotropic helical structures in Fabry-Perot (FP) cavities are shown to exhibit unique properties. The FP peaks are unpolarized, consisting of doublets corresponding to Bloch-Lyaponov eigenwaves with increased splitting as the local anisotropy increases and as they become closer to the photonic bandgap. The Bragg-type selective reflection peak existing in a free-cavity sample is inhibited when the helical medium is inside a cavity, and it has no effect on the cavity modes. Hence the unique characteristics are obtained even with a single period of the helix, and consequently thin films of helical liquid crystals can be used to build fast tunable polarization insensitive FP filters.     

Optical properties of magnetic photonic crystals with an arbitrary magnetization orientation

We have studied the peculiarities of diffraction of light in magnetic photonic crystals at large values of magnetooptical activity parameter and modulation depth. We have considered the case of an arbitrary angle between the directions of the external static magnetic field and the normal to the layer. The problem has been solved by the modified Ambartsumyan layer summation method. It has been shown that the given system is nonreciprocal with respect to not only circular, but linear polarizations also. In this case, a new type of nonreciprocity is observed (namely, the relation R(α) ≠ R(–α) holds, where R is the reflection coefficient and α is the angle of incidence). It has been demonstrated that in the case of oblique incidence, there appears a new photonic forbidden band that is not selective relative to the polarization of incident light. We have detected strong dependences of reflectance, absorbance, transmittance nonreciprocity, and other characteristics on the angle between the direction of the external static magnetic field and the normal to the layer boundary. Such a system can be used as a controllable polarization filter and a mirror, as well as a source of circular (elliptic) polarization, a controllable optical diode, and so on.     

一维液晶光子晶体透射谱的研究

一维液晶光子晶体在光滤波器、低阈值激光器和光开关等领域有着很好的应用前景。研究了一维液晶光子晶体的透射谱,电压范围在0～10V内,光谱调谐范围约为50nm,透射峰半高宽为18nm,禁带宽度近400nm。进一步提出了非偏振光型液晶光子晶体,设计了相互垂直0°扭曲取向的双液晶层一维液晶光子晶体器件。双液晶层起到了对各向偏振光光程的补偿作用,使得禁带中的两个透射峰合并为一个透射峰,加强了光强度,增强了滤波性能。     

偏振态对复周期光子晶体禁带的影响

对于一维复周期光子晶体,当制作用的波长满足一定条件时可以实现禁带的展宽,本文利用传输矩阵法数值计算了偏振态对折射率渐变的一维复周期全息光子晶体的禁带的影响。通过计算发现,制作波长不等的复周期结构光子晶体,随着再现光的照射角度增大,S偏振态下禁带出现分裂;P偏振态下禁带均可视作完整展宽,没有分裂现象。同一制作波长两次曝光制作的复周期结构,不论是P偏振还是S偏振,禁带均实现展宽而没有分裂。这一结果对实现一维全息光子晶体禁带展宽具有指导意义。