An optical analog of the Borrmann effect in photonic crystals

Numerical simulation using the layered Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker (LKKR) method is applied to calculate the reflection and absorption spectra of an s-polarized electromagnetic wave incident on a faced-centered cubic photonic crystal (PC) with opal structure whose sites are occupied by two-layer metal-dielectric spheres. The reflection and absorption coefficients of the PC are analyzed as a function of the angle of incidence of the electromagnetic wave on the crystal surface. A range of wavelengths λ and angles of inclination θ to the normal is found in which the absorption experiences a sharp change under small variations of the above parameters. The appearance of peaks in the absorption spectrum of the PC is analyzed, and the spectrum is compared with the behavior of the reduced density of states. By the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method applied to the Maxwell equations, the spatial distribution of the energy density of electromagnetic field inside each of five layers of the PC is obtained at angles of incidence of 23° and 30° for a wave-length of 455 nm. It is demonstrated that the sharp maxima of the density of electromagnetic-field energy that are localized on the surfaces of absorbing metal spheres correspond to the absorption maximum. At the same time, at the absorption minimum, the maxima of the field energy density in each of the five layers are localized mainly between the lattice sites of the PC. An analogy between this phenomenon and the Borrmann effect, which is known in X-ray spectroscopy of ordinary crystals, is analyzed.