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.     

Ultrafast optical switching in Kerr nonlinear photonic crystals

Nonlinear photonic crystals made from polystyrene materials that have Kerr nonlinearity can exhibit ultrafast optical switching when the samples are pumped by ultrashort optical pulses with high intensity due to the change of the refractive index of polystyrene and subsequent shift of the band gap edge or defect state resonant frequency. Polystyrene has a large Kerr nonlinear susceptibility and almost instantaneous response to pump light, making it suitable for the realization of ultrafast optical switching with a response time as short as a few femtoseconds. In this paper, we review our experimental progress on the continual improvement of all-optical switching speed in two-dimensional and three-dimensional polystyrene nonlinear photonic crystals in the past years. Several relevant issues are discussed and analyzed, including different mechanisms for all-optical switching, preparation of nonlinear photonic crystal samples by means of microfabrication and self-assembly techniques, characterization of optical switching performance by means of femtosecond pump-probe technique, and different ways to lower the pump power of optical switching to facilitate practical applications in optical information processing. Finally, a brief summary and a perspective of future work are provided.     

Ultrafast optical switching in Kerr nonlinear photonic crystals

Nonlinear photonic crystals made from polystyrene materials that have Kerr nonlinearity can exhibit ultrafast optical switching when the samples are pumped by ultrashort optical pulses with high intensity due to the change of the refractive index of polystyrene and subsequent shift of the band gap edge or defect state resonant frequency. Polystyrene has a large Kerr nonlinear susceptibility and almost instantaneous response to pump light, making it suitable for the realization of ultrafast optical switching with a response time as short as a few femtoseconds. In this paper, we review our experimental progress on the continual improvement of all-optical switching speed in two-dimensional and three-dimensional polystyrene nonlinear photonic crystals in the past years. Several relevant issues are discussed and analyzed, including different mechanisms for all-optical switching, preparation of nonlinear photonic crystal samples by means of microfabrication and self-assembly techniques, characterization of optical switching performance by means of femtosecond pump-probe technique, and different ways to lower the pump power of optical switching to facilitate practical applications in optical information processing. Finally, a brief summary and a perspective of future work are provided.     

Tamm states and nonlinear surface modes in photonic crystals

We predict the existence of surface gap modes, known as Tamm states for electronic systems, in truncated photonic crystals formed by two types of dielectric rods. We investigate the energy threshold, dispersion, and modal symmetries of the surface modes, and also demonstrate the existence and tunability of nonlinear Tamm states in binary photonic crystals with nonlinear response.     

二维光子晶体中与电磁波偏振态无关的自准直

利用有限时域差分法(FDTD)进行数值模拟，在二维光子晶体中实现了电磁波两种偏振态的自准直——全光自准直(full-light-self-collimation).研究表明，通过对光子晶体的结构做适当的调整，可以在较宽频率范围内实现横电波(TE波)和横磁波(TM波)沿着相同方向传播，同时保持较强的能流强度.全光自准直可以显著提高光源利用率和光波导的传播效率，在高密度集成光路中有非常重要的用途. 关键词： 光子晶体 偏振 自准直     

Parametric amplification of light waves at low-frequency pumping in aperiodic nonlinear photonic crystals

A theory of monochromatic light propagation in a fiber amplifier is developed. It is shown that competition between coherent gain-guided modes is qualitatively different from interaction between incoherent beams. Spatial beating between modes limits the gain of the mode with lower input power even if the corresponding modal gain coefficient is higher. Depending on the input beam parameters, the amplifier output can be dominated by either a single guided mode or their combination. The theory is illustrated by analyzing the gain behavior of a single planar waveguide and arrays of two and three narrow planar waveguides.     

Observation of depression solitary surface waves on a thin fluid layer

We report the observation of depression solitary surface waves on a layer of mercury when its depth is thin enough compared to the capillary length. These waves, as well as the well known elevation solitary waves, are studied with a new measurement technique using inductive sensors. The shape of the solitary waves, their amplitude-dependent velocity, and their damping rates by viscosity are found in good agreement with theoretical predictions.     

Ultrafast optical switching in three-dimensional photonic crystals

We present the first experimental investigation of ultrafast optical switching in a three-dimensional photonic crystal made of a Si-opal composite. Ultrafast (30 fs) changes in reflectivity around the photonic stop band up to 1% were measured for moderate pump power (70 microJ/cm(2)). Short-lived photoexcited carriers in silicon induce changes in the dielectric constant of Si and diminish the constructive interference inside the photonic crystal. The results are analyzed within a model based on a two-band mixing formalism.     

Power-dependent switching of nonlinear trapping by local photonic potentials

We study experimentally and numerically the nonlinear scattering of wave packets by local multisite guiding centers embedded in a continuous dielectric medium as a function of the input power and angle of incidence. The extent of trapping into the linear modes of different sites is manipulated as a function of both the input power and the angle of incidence, demonstrating power-controlled switching of nonlinear trapping by local photonic potentials.     

Investigation of magnetostatic waves in photonic crystals

The frequency dependence of the Lyapunov index in the bandgap of a magnetic photonic (spin) crystal has been experimentally determined for the first time.     

Optical interference in nonlinear photonic crystals

A model to analyze the interaction of the parametric fields being generated in a two-dimensional nonlinear photonic crystal has been developed. The analysis provides details of the interference of the generated wave(s) both inside and in the region just outside the crystal. The results are verified by second-harmonic generation in a LiNbO3 crystal that has been poled with a tetragonal inverted domain structure.     

Optical chaos in nonlinear photonic crystals

We examine the spatial evolution of lightwaves in a nonlinear photonic crystal with a quadratic nonlinearity, when a second harmonic and a sum-frequency generation are simultaneously quasi-phase-matched. We find the conditions for a transition to Hamiltonian chaos for different amplitudes of lightwaves at the crystal boundary.     

Vorticity cutoff in nonlinear photonic crystals

Using group-theory arguments, we demonstrate that, unlike in homogeneous media, no symmetric vortices of arbitrary order can be generated in two-dimensional (2D) nonlinear systems possessing a discrete-point symmetry. The only condition needed is that the nonlinearity term exclusively depends on the modulus of the field. In the particular case of 2D periodic systems, such as nonlinear photonic crystals or Bose-Einstein condensates in periodic potentials, it is shown that the realization of discrete symmetry forbids the existence of symmetric vortex solutions with vorticity higher than two.     

Color of shock waves in photonic crystals

Unexpected and stunning new physical phenomena result when light interacts with a shock wave or shocklike dielectric modulation propagating through a photonic crystal. These new phenomena include the capture of light at the shock wave front and reemission at a tunable pulse rate and carrier frequency across the band gap, and bandwidth narrowing as opposed to the ubiquitous bandwidth broadening. To our knowledge, these effects do not occur in any other physical system and are all realizable under experimentally accessible conditions. Furthermore, their generality make them amenable to observation in a variety of time-dependent photonic crystal systems, which has significant technological implications.     

Mixing of electromagnetic waves by nonlinear crystals

Lasers have enabled researchers to observe a number of new nonlinear optical phenomena. These include stimulated Raman scattering, generation of harmonics, mixing of light waves, etc. [1]. Such nonlinear phenomena can be used for the modulation, detection, amplification, and mixing of light waves, as well as for other purposes. At the same time, they afford a means of gaining a deeper insight into the interaction of electromagnetic waves with matter.     

Optical waves in photonic crystals and the photonic flame effect

We present the coupled-mode equations for inclined waves in photonic crystals. Among the eigenmodes, we focus on the evanescent modes. We consider the conjugation of the waves at the interface of the crystal and its metallic substrate. We underscore the role of resonant coupling of the fields at this interface and briefly discuss the field structure in the open space.     

Floquet-bloch waves in bound one-dimensional photonic crystals

Floquet-Bloch waves in a bound one-dimensional photonic crystal are considered. It is shown that a single Floquet-Bloch wave can be excited in a one-dimensional photonic crystal located between two homogeneous media. An exact solution of the wave equation corresponding to this case is represented in the form of a set of heterogeneous waves. For the case of incidence of the plane wave from a homogeneous medium on a bounded one-dimensional photonic crystal, the functions for the reflection and transmission coefficients are obtained based on the exact solution of the wave equation. It is shown that the transmission function for the one-dimensional photonic crystal has a form similar to that for the traditional Fabri-Perot interferometer and is determined by the interference of the Floquet-Bloch waves excited in the crystal. The evolution of the amplitude profile of the decaying Floquet-Bloch waves and the reflection spectrum of the bounded one-dimensional photonic crystal are considered in the first-order forbidden band.     

Selective stop-band switching in two-dimensional multicomponent photonic crystals

A comprehensive theoretical investigation of the stop-band switching in two-dimensional multicomponent photonic crystals is carried out. The calculations are performed within the analytical model based on analysis of the scattering form-factor. Earlier, this approach was used to describe experimental data obtained in a study of synthetic opals representing three-dimensional photonic crystals. We report here on the development of a new version of this model applicable to the class of two-dimensional photonic crystals. The existence of resonant (non-switchable) stop-bands and the possibility of selectively controlling light flows propagating at different wavelengths is predicted. These effects draw up new guidelines for the design of two-dimensional photonic crystals possessing desired optical qualities.