Transport properties of nonlinear photonic crystals

Henry P. Schriemer; Jeffrey Wheeldon; Trevor Hall

doi:10.1117/12.629896

30 September 2005 Transport properties of nonlinear photonic crystals

Henry P. Schriemer, Jeffrey Wheeldon, Trevor Hall

Proceedings Volume 5971, Photonic Applications in Nonlinear Optics, Nanophotonics, and Microwave Photonics; 597104 (2005) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.629896
Event: Photonics North, 2005, Toronto, Canada

Abstract

Keen interest has been shown in exploiting the transport properties of nonlinear photonic crystals for modulation, switching and routing applications at telecommunication frequencies. This is due to the rich anisotropy evidenced by a highly-textured dispersion surface, and its dependence on the permittivity profile of the structure. We consider a two-dimensional photonic crystal, presume an instantaneous change in profile due to an optical Kerr effect, and show how the beam's refraction angle depends on its intensity. For computational simplicity, we employ a self-consistent approach and the linear eigenvalue equation, which we solve using a finite element method. Previous studies have extracted directions of optical power flow from equifrequency contour gradients. Such gradients, more formally the group velocity, lack local definition and are only meaningful in the context of a spatial average over the unit cell. As a result, the relationship between the local character of the optical transport and the induced permittivity profile is obscured. By contrast, we explicitly consider the spatial dependence of the Poynting's vector, from which we also extract mean transport directions with much greater computational efficiency. We thereby demonstrate the interrelationship between optical transport and nonlinear response at the nanoscale. A consequent analysis of refraction in the context of the superprism effect reveals new aspects to the optical transport in such nonlinear systems.

Citation Download Citation

Henry P. Schriemer, Jeffrey Wheeldon, and Trevor Hall "Transport properties of nonlinear photonic crystals", Proc. SPIE 5971, Photonic Applications in Nonlinear Optics, Nanophotonics, and Microwave Photonics, 597104 (30 September 2005); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.629896

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available