Electromagnetically induced absorption in detuned stub waveguides: a simple analytical and experimental model.

We give an analytical and experimental demonstration of a classical analogue of the electromagnetic induced absorption (EIA) in a simple photonic device consisting of two stubs of lengths d1 and d2 grafted at the same site along a waveguide. By detuning the lengths of the two stubs (i.e. δ = d(2) - d(1)) we show that: (i) the amplitudes of the electromagnetic waves in the two stubs can be written following the two resonators model where each stub plays the role of a radiative resonator with low Q factor. The destructive interference between the waves in the two stubs may give rise to a sharp resonance peak with high Q factor in the transmission as well as in the absorption. (ii) The transmission coefficient around the resonance induced by the stubs can be written following a Fano-like form. In particular, we give an explicit expression of the position, width and Fano parameter of the resonances as a function of δ. (iii) By taking into account the loss in the waveguides, we show that at the transmission resonance, the transmission (reflection) increases (decreases) as a function of δ. Whereas the absorption goes through a maximum around 0.5 for a threshold value δth which depends on the attenuation in the system and then falls to zero. (iv) We give a comparison between the phase of the determinant of the scattering matrix, the so-called Friedel phase and the phase of the transmission amplitude. (v) The effect of the boundary conditions at the end of the resonators on the EIA resonance is also discussed. The analytical results are obtained by means of the Green's function method, whereas the experiments are carried out using coaxial cables in the radio-frequency regime. These results should have important consequences for designing integrated devices such as narrow-frequency optical or microwave filters and high-speed switches.

Nanoscale plasmon waveguide including cavity resonator.

The propagation and filtering of surface plasmon polaritons in metal-insulator-metal nanosandwiches are investigated by using finite-difference time domain simulation. We study the optical transmission of a nanoscale waveguide coupled to a cavity situated either in the vicinity or in the interior of the waveguide. Depending on whether the cavity is inside or at the side of the waveguide, the transmission spectrum displays respectively peaks or dips which occur at the same frequencies. We study the dip and peak frequencies in the transmission spectrum as a function of the geometrical parameters of the cavity and the thickness of the metallic gap separating the guide from the cavity.

Electromagnetic wave propagation in quasi-periodic photonic circuits.

We study theoretically and experimentally the properties of quasiperiodic one-dimensional serial loop structures made of segments and loops arranged according to a Fibonacci sequence (FS). Two systems are considered. (i) By inserting the FS horizontally between two waveguides, we give experimental evidence of the scaling behaviour of the amplitude and the phase of the transmission coefficient. (ii) By grafting the FS vertically along a guide, we obtain from the maxima of the transmission coefficient the eigenmodes of the finite structure (assuming the vanishing of the magnetic field at the boundaries of the FS). We show that these two systems (i) and (ii) exhibit the property of self-similarity of order three at certain frequencies where the quasiperiodicity is most effective. In addition, because of the different boundary conditions imposed on the ends of the FS, we show that horizontal and vertical structures give different information on the localization of the different modes inside the FS. Finally, we show that the eigenmodes of the finite FS coincide exactly with the surface modes of two semi-infinite superlattices obtained by the cleavage of an infinite superlattice formed by a periodic repetition of a given FS.

Propagation and localization of electromagnetic waves in quasiperiodic serial loop structures.

We study the propagation of electromagnetic waves in one-dimensional quasiperiodic photonic band gap structures made of serial loop structures separated by segments. Different quasiperiodic structures such as Fibonacci, Thue-Morse, Rudin-Shapiro, and double period are investigated with special focus on the Fibonacci structure. Depending on the lengths of the two arms constituting the loops, one can distinguish two particular cases. (i) There are symmetric loop structures, which are shown to be equivalent to impedance-modulated mediums. In this case, it is found that besides the existence of extended and forbidden modes, some narrow frequency bands appear as defect modes in the transmission spectrum inside the gaps. These modes are shown to be localized within only one of the two types of blocks constituting the structure. An analysis of the transmission phase time enables us to derive the group velocity as well as the density of states in these structures. In particular, the stop bands (localized modes) may give rise to unusual (strong normal) dispersion in the gaps, yielding fast (slow) group velocities above (below) the velocity of light. (ii) There are also asymmetric loop structures, where the loops play the role of resonators that may introduce transmission zeros and hence additional gaps unnoticed in the case of simple impedance-modulated mediums. A comparison of the transmission amplitude and phase time of Fibonacci systems with those of other quasiperiodic systems is also outlined. In particular, it was shown that these structures present similar behaviors in the transmission spectra inside the regions of extended modes, whereas they present different localized modes inside the gaps. Experiments and numerical calculations are in very good agreement.

Simple acoustic multiplexer.

Simple structures enabling the multiplexing of acoustic waves are presented. Such structures are constructed out of two monomode acoustic wires and two masses bound together, and to the wires by springs. We show analytically that these simple structures can transfer with selectivity and in one direction one acoustic wavelength from one wire to the other, leaving neighbor acoustic wavelengths unaffected. We give closed-form relations enabling to obtain the values of the relevant physical parameters for this multiplexing phenomena to happen at a chosen wavelength. Finally, we illustrate this general theory by an application.

Band structure and omnidirectional photonic band gap in lamellar structures with left-handed materials.

We theoretically investigate the photonic band structure of one-dimensional superlattices composed of alternating layers of right-handed and left-handed materials (RHM and LHM). The dispersion curves are mainly studied by assuming that the dielectric permittivity and magnetic permeability are constant in each layer. It is shown that such structures can exhibit new types of electromagnetic modes and dispersion curves that do not exist in usual superlattices composed only of RHM. In particular, we emphasize the possibility of bands that originate from the interface modes localized at the boundary between a LHM and RHM or from confined modes in one type of layers. These waves are evanescent in both or in one constituent of the superlattice. One of the pass bands may lie below the light lines of the constituting material and go down to the static limit of a vanishing frequency omega, even at a value of the wave vector k(//) (parallel to the layers) that is different from zero. For a given value of the wave vector k(//), the dispersion curves omega versus k(z) (where k(z) is the Bloch wave vector of the periodic system along the axis of the superlattice) may exist only in a limited part of the superlattice Brillouin zone and exhibit a zigzag behavior instead of a monotonic behavior as in usual superlattices. With an appropriate choice of the parameters, we show that it is possible to realize an absolute (or omnidirectional) band gap for either transverse electric (TE) or transverse magnetic (TM) polarization of the electromagnetic waves. A combination of two multilayer structures composed of RHM and LHM is proposed to realize, in a certain range of frequency, an omnidirectional reflector of light for both polarizations.

Simple nanometric plasmon multiplexer.

We present a simple multiplexing structure made of two discrete plasmon wires coupled by two metal nanoclusters. We show that this simple nanosystem can transfer one plasmon wavelength from one wire to the other. Closed-form relations between the transmission coefficients and the nanocluster distances are given to optimize the desired directional plasmon ejection.

Directional photon transfer between two wires.

The directional transfer of a single photon from one wire to another, leaving all other neighbor states unaffected, is of great importance. We present a simple coupling structure that makes such transfer possible, for any given photon wavelength and linewidth. We give closed-form expressions for the parameters necessary to build such a structure. An illustration of our analytic study is given for the directional transmission of a telecommunication signal between two lines.

Phononic crystal with low filling fraction and absolute acoustic band gap in the audible frequency range: a theoretical and experimental study.

The propagation of acoustic waves in a two-dimensional composite medium constituted of a square array of parallel copper cylinders in air is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. The band structure is calculated with the plane wave expansion (PWE) method by imposing the condition of elastic rigidity to the solid inclusions. The PWE results are then compared to the transmission coefficients computed with the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method for finite thickness composite samples. In the low frequency regime, the band structure calculations agree with the FDTD results indicating that the assumption of infinitely rigid inclusion retains the validity of the PWE results to this frequency domain. These calculations predict that this composite material possesses a large absolute forbidden band in the domain of the audible frequencies. The FDTD spectra reveal also that hollow and filled cylinders produce very similar sound transmission suggesting the possibility of realizing light, effective sonic insulators. Experimental measurements show that the transmission through an array of hollow Cu cylinders drops to noise level throughout frequency interval in good agreement with the calculated forbidden band.