Optical activity of incommensurate crystals with plane-wave modulation

A phenomenological approach is used to discuss the propagation of polarized light in the incommensurately modulated phases of crystals of the family A₂BX₄ with spatially averaged inversion symmetry. The Jones-matrix technique for an anisotropic inhomogeneous medium is used to calculate the optical parameters of a crystal with sinusoidally modulated dielectric parameters. It is demonstrated that these crystals can exhibit a weak optical activity, i.e., weaker than that of crystals without inversion symmetry. Also discussed are boundary conditions on the phase of the modulation wave at the surface of a crystal plate. Results are obtained suggesting that the optical properties of an incommensurately modulated crystal need not depend on the shape of the modulation wave. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1360–1365 (August 1996)     

Polarization-universal bandgap in periodically twisted nematics

Cholesteric liquid crystals are known to possess bandgap and exhibit strong reflection for one of two circular polarizations of light. We suggest a periodically twisted nematic liquid crystal as a medium, which possesses bandgap and exhibits strong reflection for any polarization of normally incident light. Two possible structures are considered: a sinusoidal modulation profile and a rectangular modulation profile. In both cases, the maximum bandgap of a periodically twisted structure is approximately twice as narrow as that of cholesterics. However, the polarization properties of these structures may make them more advantageous than cholesterics in a variety of applications.     

电光晶体在MSLM中的应用

本文利用MSLM电光调制理论对几种实用电光晶体的综合电光性能进行了理论分析和比较。讨论了材料固有的铁电相变及自然双折射等特性与器件制作工艺的兼容性问题。结果指出LiNbO₃、LiTaO₃、BSO是目前可以利用的三种各具特点的电光晶体。     

Band gaps structure and semi-Dirac point of two-dimensional function photonic crystals

Two-dimensional function photonic crystals, in which the dielectric constants of medium columns are the functions of space coordinates , are proposed and studied numerically. The band gaps structures of the photonic crystals for TE and TM waves are different from the two-dimensional conventional photonic crystals. Some absolute band gaps and semiDirac points are found. When the medium column radius and the function form of the dielectric constant are modulated, the numbers, width, and position of band gaps are changed, and the semi-Dirac point can either occur or disappear. Therefore,the special band gaps structures and semi-Dirac points can be achieved through the modulation on the two-dimensional function photonic crystals. The results will provide a new design method of optical devices based on the two-dimensional function photonic crystals.     

On the phenomenological theory of the linear electrooptical effect in uniaxial crystals

The linear electrooptical effect in uniaxial crystals is considered with the aid of direct tensor methods. Covariant expressions for finding biradials and ray refractive indices are developed. A general expression is derived relating the nonlinear optical polarizability parameters and the electrooptical properties of a crystal. The results are applied to cuts of uniaxial ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP), potassium dihydrogen phosphate (PDP), and quartz crystals often used for light modulation. The induced phase differences between the light waves propagating in such crystals are found for the field orientations considered.     

晶体的双参量调制及其应用

利用折射率椭球分析法,分析了某些具有多重光学效应的光学晶体在两个外场同时作用下的一些特有调制规律.结果表明,当晶体的折射率椭球方程的三个交叉项中只有一项x1x2不为零时,可以得到其外场诱导新主轴折射率及其主轴取向的简单计算式.据此可以揭示出某些晶体在两个外加电场同时作用下将具有双横向电光Pockels效应,例如ˉ6点群的电光晶体.但一般晶体在双横向应力作用下不具有与双横向电光效应类似的调制特性,其弹光双折射大小与其应力差成正比,其双折射主轴方向一般为固定值.在相互垂直的外加应力和电场同时作用下,某些晶体(例如ˉ43m点群晶体)的双折射大小与外加应力和外加电场的加权几何平均值成正比,且新折射率主轴旋转角由外加应力和外加电场的比值来确定.晶体的上述双参量调制特性对设计新型光学调制器或传感器具有重要指导意义.     

Periodic,quasi‐periodic,and random quadratic nonlinear photonic crystals

Quadratic nonlinear photonic crystals are materials in which the second order susceptibility χ⁽²⁾ is spatially modulated while the linear susceptibility remains constant. These structures are significantly different than the more common photonic crystals, in which the linear susceptibility is modulated. Nonlinear processes in nonlinear photonic crystals are governed by the phase matching requirements, which are determined by the reciprocal lattice of these crystals. Therefore, the modulation of the nonlinear susceptibility enables to engineer the spatial and spectral response in various three‐wave mixing processes. It enables to support the efficient generation of new optical frequencies at multiple directions. We analyze three wave mixing processes in nonlinear photonic crystals in which the modulation is either periodic, quasi‐periodic, radially symmetric or even random. We discuss both one‐dimensional and two‐dimensional modulations. In addition to harmonic generations, we outline several new possibilities for all‐optical control of the spatial and polarization properties of optical beams in specially designed nonlinear photonic crystals.     

Photonic band gap in 1D Photonic crystals with gradient profile of pitch and amplitude of modulation

The optical properties of one-dimensional photonic crystals with graded profile of pitch and that of the amplitude of modulation are studied theoretically. The development method, elaborated by the authors earlier, is applied. We show that there exist photonic band gaps in their transmission spectra, and, moreover, they have much wider bandwidth.     

The effect of chemical composition of a crystallization medium on the cBN stoichiometry

Abstract

The effect of chemical composition of the crystallization medium in synthesis on and some properties of cubic boron nitride (cBN) has been studied. Cubic BN crystals with the lowest free boron content and a boron-nitrogen ratio close to the stoichiometric one are grown in a multicomponent crystallization medium in a Li₃N-BN system. These crystals are characterized by a higher strength and thermal stability.     

FDTD法对二维正方格子光子晶体带隙的数值计算

通过optiFDTD模拟软件对二维椭圆柱构造的正方格子光子晶体的禁带特性进行了数值模拟。分别研究了在空气中椭圆介质(Ge,Si,GaAs)柱和在介质(Ge,Si,GaAs)中椭圆空气柱构造的二维正方格子光子晶体中椭圆柱的横轴半径和纵轴半径的大小,以及椭圆柱的不同旋转角度对光子禁带的影响;并计算出了在上述两种情况下的空气和介质中的最优结构参数。     

Numerical study on characteristic of two-dimensional metal/dielectric photonic crystals

An improved plan-wave expansion method is adopted to theoretically study the photonic band diagrams of twodimensional(2D) metal/dielectric photonic crystals.Based on the photonic band structures,the dependence of flat bands and photonic bandgaps on two parameters(dielectric constant and filling factor) are investigated for two types of 2D metal/dielectric(M/D) photonic crystals,hole and cylinder photonic crystals.The simulation results show that band structures are affected greatly by these two parameters.Flat bands and bandgaps can be easily obtained by tuning these parameters and the bandgap width may reach to the maximum at certain parameters.It is worth noting that the hole-type photonic crystals show more bandgaps than the corresponding cylinder ones,and the frequency ranges of bandgaps also depend strongly on these parameters.Besides,the photonic crystals containing metallic medium can obtain more modulation of photonic bands,band gaps,and large effective refractive index,etc.than the dielectric/dielectric ones.According to the numerical results,the needs of optical devices for flat bands and bandgaps can be met by selecting the suitable geometry and material parameters.     

Two alternative approaches to electro-optical detection of terahertz pulses

The electro-optical detection of terahertz radiation is analyzed theoretically. While a conventional detection scheme of this type is based on the measurement of the phase shift of an optical pulse arising from its interaction with the terahertz field in a nonlinear medium, it is shown that both the phase and amplitude of the optical pulse vary because of this interaction. The amplitude modulation carries information on the dynamics of the amplitude and phase of the terahertz field and can be used to measure these parameters. With this energy-sensitive detection scheme, avoiding all restrictions on the symmetry type of the nonlinear medium is much simpler than with the phase scheme. Variants of the electro-optical detection technique using periodically poled crystals with the lithium-niobate symmetry and crystals with the zincblende structure are considered. It is shown that spectral sensitivities of the methods based on measurements of the phase and amplitude modulations are related as the frequencies of the laser and terahertz fields.     

太赫兹偏振测量系统及其应用

麦克斯韦方程中的介质响应特性一般由本构关系中的介电函数ε(ω)和磁导率μ(ω)来描述,对于介质中传播的电磁场,通常存在两个独立的本征传播模式,它们是齐次麦克斯韦方程组的特解,各自具有特定的色散关系和偏振态。如果介质中传播的电磁场为两个本征模分量的线性迭加,其偏振态将会随着传播的过程而改变。常见的现象有各向异性晶体中的双折射、超材料中的偏振调制效应、自然界中手性材料的旋光响应以及外磁场作用下产生的Faraday效应等。本文从测量方法、数据处理、测量精度等方面介绍太赫兹时域偏振检测系统及其发展状况,特别是利用线栅、超材料以及光学手段调制太赫兹电场偏振态的方法。对近几年太赫兹偏振检测系统在分析手性超材料、太赫兹圆二色谱以及Faraday效应等实验中的应用进行了总结和讨论。最后展望了太赫兹偏振检测系统未来进一步的发展空间及应用前景。     

Effect of a photonic band gap in the optical range on solid-state SiO2 cluster lattices — opals

It is shown that synthetic opals — cubic face-centered lattices of SiO₂ clusters — are systems which exhibit a number of properties of photonic crystals in the visible-light range. By filling the voids (pores) in such lattices with different materials it is possible to vary the optical contrast of the medium and to obtain crystals of both the lattice of spheres type and its three-dimensional replica. It is shown that under conditions of identical optical contrast and in the presence of an additional optical inhomogeneity of the spheres, the transparency of the lattice of spheres is lower than that of its replica based on homogeneous media. A refractive index modulation of 1.266 was achieved in the lattice of spheres. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 63, No. 7, 496–501 (10 April 1996)     

The mechanism of Landau-Rumer relaxation of thermal and high-frequency phonons in cubic crystals of germanium,silicon, and diamond

Transverse phonon relaxation according to the Landau-Rumer mechanism is considered for an isotropic medium and crystals of germanium, silicon, and diamond possessing a cubic symmetry. The energy of elastic deformation caused by the anharmonicity of vibrations of the cubic crystal lattice is expressed via the second-and third-order moduli of elasticity. Using the known values of these elastic moduli, parameters determining the frequencies of the transverse phonon relaxation in the Landau-Rumer mechanism are evaluated for the germanium, silicon, and diamond crystals. It is shown that the dependence of the relaxation frequency on the wavevector of thermal and high-frequency phonons sharply differs from the classical Landau-Rumer relationship both in the isotropic medium and in the cubic crystals. It is established that the observed peculiarities in the relaxation frequency are related to the angular dependence of the probability of anharmonic scattering and the anisotropy of elastic properties of the germanium, silicon, and diamond crystals. A new method is proposed for the experimental determination of the relaxation frequency of high-frequency phonons as a function of the wavevector using the temperature dependence of the coefficient of absorption of high-frequency ultrasound.     

On the influence of dispersion on the spatial distribution of the intensity of luminescence excited by opposing laser pulses

The spatial dynamics of variations in the intensity of the luminescence of quantum systems in crystals of the medium and highest categories of symmetry upon excitation with opposing optical pulses of an arbitrary shape is investigated by numerical simulation methods. It is established that the material dispersion, which is responsible for the dispersion spreading of pulses, has no effect on the shape and width of the envelope of the spatial distribution of the luminescence intensity, as well as on the depth of the luminescence intensity modulation associated with the interference of opposing pulses.     

Nonreciprocity of waves in 1D photonic quasiperiodic crystals

Optical properties of one-dimensional quasiperiodic crystals with a linear profile of the modulation parameters are studied. It is shown that such systems possess a wider photonic forbidden band than the ideally periodic systems. The asymmetric profile of variation of the system parameters leads to nonreciprocity, which allows one to use these systems as optical diodes.     

Phonon propagation through photonic crystals—media with spatially modulated acoustic properties

The thermal conductivity κ of photonic crystals differing in degree of optical homogeneity (single crystals of synthetic opals) was measured in the 4.2–300 K temperature range. The thermal conductivity revealed, in addition to the conventional decrease in comparison with solid amorphous SiO₂ characteristic of porous solids, a noticeable decrease for T<20 K, the range wherein the phonon wavelength in amorphous SiO₂ approaches the diameters of the contact areas between the opal spheres. This effect is enhanced in the case of phonon propagation along the SiO₂ sphere chains (six directions in the cubic opal lattice). The propagation of light waves (photons) through a medium with spatially modulated optical properties (photonic crystals) is presently well studied. The propagation of acoustic waves through a medium with spatially modulated acoustic properties (phononic crystals) may also reveal specific effects, which are discussed in this paper; among them are, e.g., the ballistic mode of phonon propagation and waveguide effects.     

SmS phase transition in thin films prepared by reactive evaporation

Preparation and analysis of thin films containing samarium sulfide (SmS) is presented along with a review of relevant SmS properties. Films were deposited onto unheated substrates by the reactive evaporation of samarium in a backpressure of hydrogen sulfide. This technique yields films that contain significant quantities of impurities; however high-quality SmS crystals are also formed. A phase transition in the SmS crystals was observed both by spectrophotometry and x-ray diffraction. The film optical properties can be modeled with an effective medium calculation. The predicted spectra successfully reproduce the observed qualitative features over a wide range of wavelengths.     

Waves in an active medium guided by a reactive surface with reactance of gain modulation

The characteristics of surface waves (i) in a passive medium supported by a passive surface with reactance modulation and an active surface with the modulation of either the reactance or the negative resistance, and (ii) in an active medium supported by a passive surface with a reactance modulation are investigated with emphasis on the band regions. The periodic variation is sinusoidal and is in the propagation direction. For a passive medium terminated by a passive surface with a reactance modulation, there are stop bands in frequency for the surface waves and the structure of the first two stop bands is analyzed. For a passive medium terminated by an active surface and for an active medium terminated by a reactance-modulated passive surface, the characteristics of the absolute instabilities occurring in the first-order band are examined. The nature of the convective instability taking place in the second-order band for an active medium terminated by a reactance-modulated surface is discussed. Analytical expressions for the frequency shift of the second-order band are deduced. The Floquet theory is used to obtain the exact dispersion relation in the form of a continued fraction which is analyzed by singular expansions.