Nonreciprocal photonic devices play a significant role in regulating the propagation of electromagnetic waves. Here we theoretically investigate the nonreciprocal properties of transverse magnetic modes in a one-dimensional graphene-based photonic crystal subjected to an applied electrical DC bias. We find that drifting electrons driven by the external DC electric field can give rise to extremely asymmetric dispersion diagrams. Furthermore, when the drifting electrons travel antiparallel to the normal component of the incident wave vector, the negative refraction is strongly suppressed, causing the energy of light to flow along the direction of the direct electric current. Our theoretical findings can be used to design nonreciprocal nanophotonic devices and enable light to propagate without refraction.
We demonstrate how to achieve reversible nonreciprocal optical response in a periodic photonic structure with a pair of defects, one of them being a nonlinear liquid crystal defect layer. The twin defect layers structure is symmetric at low intensity and becomes asymmetric above a power threshold corresponding to the optical reordering of the liquid crystal. We show that nonreciprocal effects can be reversed by changing the wavelength as a consequence of the defect mode dependent light localization inside the structure.
A metamaterial with a negative effective index of refraction is made from a three-dimensional hexagonal lattice photonic crystal with a metallic basis embedded in foam. It has been simulated with Ansoft HFSSTM in a frequency range from 7.0 to 12.0 GHz. Simulated results tested experimentally and negative refraction verified in some frequencies. Experimental results are in excellent agreement with simulations.
On-chip optical nonreciprocal devices are vital components for integrated photonic systems and scalable quantum information processing. Nonlinear optical isolators and circulators have attracted considerable attention because of their fundamental interest and their important advantages in integrated photonic circuits. However, optical nonreciprocal devices based on Kerr or Kerr-like nonlinearity are subject to dynamical reciprocity when the forward and backward signals coexist simultaneously in a nonlinear system. Here, we theoretically propose a method for realizing on-chip nonlinear isolator…
In this paper we describe an application of the finite difference method to obtain the transverse magnetic photonic band gap diagram of a photonic crystal. The strategy of this method is to formulate the Maxwell equations in finite differences in order to write a computational code. We present experiments that confirm the validity of the calculations of the photonic band diagram as well as the refraction indix of such structure. All calculations were made for two dimensional metallic photonic crystal.
A novel open cavity formed by three 60-degree wedges of a photonic crystal with negative effective index is designed and studied. The quality factor of the open cavity can be larger than 2000. The influence of the interface termination on the resonant frequency and the quality factor is studied.
We present the key results from a comprehensive study of the refraction and focusing properties of a two-dimensional dodecagonal photonic ``quasicrystal'' (PQC), carried out via both full-wave numerical simulations and microwave measurements on a slab made of alumina rods inserted in a parallel-plate waveguide. We observe anomalous refraction and focusing in several frequency regions, confirming some recently published results. However, our interpretation, based on numerical and experimental evidence, differs substantially from the one in terms of ``effective negative refractive-index'' that w…
We develop a theory to compute and interpret the photonic band structure of a periodic array of metallic helices for the first time. Interesting features of band structure include the ingenuous longitudinal and circularly polarized eigenmodes, the wide polarization gap [Science 325, 1513 (2009)], and the helical symmetry guarantees the existence of negative group velocity bands at both sides of the polarization gap and band crossings pinned at the zone boundary with fixed frequencies. A direct proof of negative refraction via a chiral route [Science 306, 1353 (2004)] is achieved for the first …
We propose a dynamically tunable nonreciprocal response for wave propagations by employing nonlinear Fano resonances. We demonstrate that transmission contrast of waves propagation in opposite directions can be controlled by excitation signal. In particular, the unidirectional transmission can be flipped at different times of a pulse, resembling a diode operation with {\em dynamical reconfigurable nonreciprocity}. The key mechanism is the interaction between the linear and nonlinear Fano resonances that allows for the tunable unidirectional wave propagation and ultrahigh transmission contrast …
Optical nonreciprocity and routing using optocal microcavities draw much atttention in recent years. Here, we report the results of the study on the nonreciprocity and routing using optomechanical multimode interference in an optical microcavity. The optomechanical system used here possesses multi-optical modes and a mechanical mode. Optomechanical induced transparency and absorption, appear in the system due to the interference between different paths. The system can present significant nonreciprocity and routing properties when appropriate parameters of the system are set. We design quantum …
Research on photonics and metamaterials constantly challenges our intuitive understanding of the behaviour of light. In recent years we have seen negative refraction, focusing of light by a flat slab, a ``perfect'' prism, and an ``invisibility cloak'' [1-6]. It is generally understood that the cause of this unusual behaviour is the strong (anomalous) dispersion, i.e., dependence of the material properties on the frequency of light. Dispersion can be either due to a natural microscopic resonance of the material as with surface plasmons-polaritons, or due to an effective resonance (band-gap) of …
We propose a novel geometry for integrated photonic devices that can be used as isolators and polarization splitters based on engineered photonic lattices. Starting from optical waveguide arrays that mimic Fock space representation of a non-interacting two-site Bose Hubbard Hamiltonian, we show that introducing magneto-optic nonreciprocity to these structures leads to a superior optical isolation performance. In the forward propagation direction, an input TM polarized beam experiences a perfect state transfer between the input and output waveguide channels while surface Bloch oscillations bloc…
Emerging photonic functionalities are mostly governed by the fundamental principle of Lorentz reciprocity. Lifting the constraints imposed by this principle could circumvent deleterious effects that limit the performance of photonic systems. A variety of approaches have recently been explored to break reciprocity, yet most efforts have been limited to confined photonic systems. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a spatio-temporally modulated metasurface capable of extreme breakdown of Lorentz reciprocity. Through tailoring the momentum and frequency harmonic contents of the scatte…
We study tunable refraction of light in one-dimensional periodic lattices induced optically in a photorefractive crystal. We observe experimentally both positive and negative refraction of beams which selectively excite the first or second spectral bands of the periodic lattice, and demonstrate tunability of the output beam position by dynamically adjusting the lattice depth. At higher laser intensities, the beam broadening due to diffraction can be suppressed through nonlinear self-focusing while preserving the general steering properties.
Enhanced interaction between two two-level emitters (e.g., atoms) by nonreciprocal photonic media can be of benefit to broad areas, from quantum information science to biological detection. Here we provide a detailed analysis on why nonreciprocal photon-mediated interaction enhances inter-atomic excitation transport efficiency. We investigate a system consisting of two two-level emitters embedded in a generic photonic environment. By comparing symmetric and asymmetric photon-exchange, we analytically show that breaking electromagnetic reciprocity makes it possible for the cooperative decay rat…
We describe propagation of light in a gas with periodic density modulation, demonstrating photonic-crystal-like refraction with negative refraction angles. We address the role of poorly defined boundaries and damping, and derive an optical analog of the quantum adiabatic theorem. For Cs atoms in an optical lattice, we show that relying on semi-adiabatic propagation one can excite and spatially split positively and negatively refracting modes at experimentally available gas densities.
An 'optical ratchet' for discretized light in photonic lattices, which enables to observe rectification of light refraction at any input beam conditions, is theoretically presented, and a possible experimental implementation based on periodically-curved zigzag waveguide arrays is proposed.
Modern photonic and quantum technologies demand reciprocity breaking, e.g., isolators, full-duplex systems, noise isolation in quantum computers, motivating searching for practical approaches beyond magnet-based devices. This work overviews the up-and-coming advances in optical nonreciprocity, including new materials (Weyl semimetals, topological insulators, metasurfaces), active structures, time-modulation, PT-symmetry breaking, nonlinearity, quantum nonlinearity, unidirectional gain and loss, chiral quantum states, and valley polarization.
Artificial gauge fields enable extending the control over dynamics of uncharged particles, by engineering the potential landscape such that the particles behave as if effective external fields are acting on them. Recent years have witnessed a growing interest in artificial gauge fields that are generated either by geometry or by time-dependent modulation, as they have been the enablers for topological phenomena and synthetic dimensions in many physical settings, e.g., photonics, cold atoms and acoustic waves. Here, we formulate and experimentally demonstrate the generalized laws of refraction …
We introduce topological phases in Photonic Time-Crystals. Photonic Time-Crystals are materials in which the refractive index varies periodically and abruptly in time. When the refractive index changes abruptly, the light propagating in the material experiences time-refraction and time-reflection, analogous to refraction and reflection in photonic crystals. Interference between time-refracted and time-reflected waves gives rise to Floquet-Bloch states and dispersion bands, which are gapped in the momentum. We show that photonic time-crystals can be in a topologically non-trivial phase, and cal…
The energy flux patterns of inverse Goos-Hanchen (GH) shift around the interface between air and negatively refractive photonic crystal (NRPhC) with different surface terminations is investigated. Results show that NRPhC exhibits inverse GH shift in TM and TE polarization, and the localization and pattern of energy flux differ in TM and TE polarizations and are strongly affected by surface termination. This is different to the condition of negative permittivity materials (i.e., metal), which only presents inverse GH shift in TM polarization. In the case of TE polarization, the energy flux patt…
Nonreciprocity and nonreciprocal optical devices play a vital role in modern photonic technologies by enforcing one-way propagation of light. Most nonreciprocal devices today are made from a special class of low-loss ferrites that exhibit a magneto-optical response in the presence of an external static magnetic field. While breaking transmission symmetry, ferrites fail to satisfy the need for miniaturization of photonic circuitry due to weak character of nonreciprocal responses at optical wavelengths and are not easy to integrate into on-chip photonic systems. These challenges led to the emerg…
Photonic nonreciprocal components, such as isolators and circulators, provide highly desirable functionalities for optical circuitry. This motivates the active investigation of mechanisms that break reciprocity, and pose alternatives to magneto-optic effects in on-chip systems. In this work, we use optomechanical interactions to strongly break reciprocity in a compact system. We derive minimal requirements to create nonreciprocity in a wide class of systems that couple two optical modes to a mechanical mode, highlighting the importance of optically biasing the modes at a controlled phase diffe…
Refraction and diffraction of waves in natural crystals and artificial crystals formed by anisotropically scattering centers are considered. A detailed study of the electromagnetic wave refraction in a two-dimensional photonic crystal formed by parallel threads is given by way of example. The expression is derived for the effective amplitude of wave scattering by a thread (in a crystal) for the case when scattering by a single thread in a vacuum is anisotropic. It is established that for a wave with orthogonal polarization, unlike a wave with parallel polarization, the index of refraction in c…
We show numerically for the first time that ultra-refractive phenomena do exist in one-dimensional photonic crystals: we exhibit the main features of ultra-refraction, that is the enlargement and the splitting of an incident beam. We give a very simple explanation of these phenomena in terms of the photonic band structure of these media.
Nonreciprocal optical devices have broad applications in light manipulations for communications and sensing. Non-magnetic mechanisms of optical nonreciprocity are highly desired for high-frequency on-chip applications. Here, we investigate the nonreciprocal properties of light propagation in a dielectric waveguide induced by a subwavelength spinning cylinder. We find that the chiral modes of the cylinder can give rise to unidirectional coupling with the waveguide via the transverse spin-orbit interaction, leading to different transmissions for guided wave propagating in opposite directions and…
The polarization properties of perfectly periodical and defective one-dimensional photonic bandgap structures with nonreciprocal chiral (bi-isotropic) layers are studied. The method of solution is based on the 2x2-block-representation transfer-matrix formulation. Numerical simulations are carried out for different type of structures (symmetrical or asymmetrical) in order to reveal the dependence of the reflection and transmission coefficients on frequency, chirality, nonreciprocity parameters, and the angle of wave incidence.
The classification of bandstructures by topological invariants provides a powerful tool for understanding phenomena such as the quantum Hall effect. This classification was originally developed in the context of electrons, but can also be applied to photonic crystals. In this paper we study the topological classification of the refractive index surfaces of two-dimensional photonic crystals. We consider crystals formed from birefringent materials, in which the constitutive relation provides an optical spin-orbit coupling. We show that this coupling, in conjunction with optical activity, can lea…
We show that Maxwell's demon-like nonreciprocity can be supported in a class of non-Hermitian gyrotropic metasurfaces in the linear regime. The proposed metasurface functions as a transmission-only Maxwell's demon operating at a pair of photon energies. Based on multiple scattering theory, we construct a dual-dipole model to explain the underlying mechanism that leads to the antisymmetric nonreciprocal transmission. The results may inspire new designs of compact nonreciprocal devices for photonics.
We show that diffraction of electromagnetic radiation (in particular of a visible light) can disappear in propagation through materials with periodically in space modulated refraction index, i.e. photonic crystals. In this way the light beams of arbitrary width can propagate without diffractive broadening and, equivalently, arbitrary light patterns can propagate without diffractive smearing.
We investigate the optical transmission spectra for $s$-polarized (TE) and $p$-polarized (TM) waves in one-dimensional photonic quasicrystals on a quasiperiodic multilayer structure made up by alternate layers of SiO$_{2}$ and \textit{metamaterials}, organized by following the Octonacci sequence. Maxwell's equations and the transfer-matrix technique are used to derive the transmission spectra for the propagation of normaly and obliquely incident optical fields. We assume Drude-Lorentz-type dispersive response for the dielectric permittivity and magnetic permeability of the metamaterials. For n…
Time-varying media have recently emerged as a new paradigm for wave manipulation, thanks to thesynergy between the discovery of novel, highly nonlinear materials, such as epsilon-near-zero materials, and the questfor novel wave applications, such as magnet-free nonreciprocity, multi-mode light shaping, and ultrafast switching. Inthis review we provide a comprehensive discussion of the recent progress achieved with photonic metamaterials whoseproperties stem from their modulation in time. We review the basic concepts underpinning temporal switching and itsrelation with spatial scattering, and d…
Nonreciprocal light propagation is important in many applications, ranging from optical telecommunications to integrated photonics. A simple way to achieve optical nonreciprocity is to use the nonlinear interaction between counterpropagating light in a Kerr medium. Within a ring resonator, this leads to spontaneous symmetry breaking, with the result that light of a given frequency can circulate in one direction, but not in both directions simultaneously. In this work, we demonstrate that this effect can be used to realize optical isolators and circulators based on a single ultra- high-Q micror…
We propose to simulate 3D Dirac points and line-nodes with nontrivial $Z_2$ topology in nonsymmorphic all-dielectric photonic-crystals with space-time reversal symmetry, which can be realized at infrared and microwave frequencies. Double degeneracy of all Bloch states in high symmetry planes is achieved via nonsymmorphic screw symmetries despite the fundamental obstacle of no Kramers degeneracy in photonic crystals. Two orthogonal screw axes lead to 3D $Z_2$ Dirac points on high symmetry Brillouin zone boundary lines. On the other hand, $Z_2$ line-nodes emerge as protected twofold degeneracy o…
Achieving nonreciprocal light propagation in photonic circuits is essential to control signal crosstalk and optical back-scatter. However, realizing high-fidelity nonreciprocity in low-loss integrated photonic systems remains challenging. In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate a device concept based on nonlocal acousto-optic light scattering to produce nonreciprocal single-sideband modulation and mode conversion in an integrated silicon photonic platform. In this process, a traveling-wave acoustic phonon driven via optical forces in a silicon waveguide is used to modulate light in a spat…
Simulations of propagation of light beams in specially designed multilayer semiconductor structures (one-dimensional photonic crystals) with embedded quantum wells reveal characteristic optical properties of resonant hyperbolic metamaterials. A strong dependence of the refraction angle and the optical beam spread on the exciton radiative lifetime is revealed. We demonstrate the strong negative refraction of light and the control of the group velocity of light by an external bias through its effect upon the exciton radiative properties.
A new approach to producing a composite material with negative refraction index is demonstrated. It is shown that a photonic structure consisting of two dielectric materials, with positive and negative dielectric permittivities, can support electromagnetic surface waves which exhibit the unusual electromagnetic property of left-handedness (or negative refraction index). Depending on the dielectric materials, these surface waves localized at the dielectric interfaces can be either surface plasmons, or phonons. The detailed geometry of the structure determines whether this composite left-handed …
Recently discovered valley photonic crystals (VPCs) mimic many of the unusual properties of two-dimensional gapped valleytronic materials such as bilayer graphene or MoS2. Of the utmost interest to optical communications is their ability to support topologically protected chiral edge (kink) states at the internal domain wall between two VPCs with spectrally overlapping bandgap zones and opposite half-integer valley-Chern indices. We experimentally demonstrate the robustness of the kink states in VPCs that support degenerate transverse-electric-like (TE) and transverse-magnetic-like (TM) topolo…
In this paper, a non-Hermitian two-dimensional photonic crystal flat lens is proposed. The negative refraction of the second band of photonic crystal is utilized to realize super-resolution imaging of the point source. Based on the principles of non-Hermitian systems, a negative imaginary part is introduced into the imaging frequency, in which case the imaging intensity and resolution are improved. The results indicate that the non-Hermitian system provides a new method to improve the imaging performance of the photonic crystal lens.
Optical isolators are an important building block in photonic computation and communication. In traditional optics, isolators are realized with magneto-optical garnets. However, it remains challenging to incorporate such materials on an integrated platform because of the difficulty in material growth and bulky device footprint. Here, we propose an ultracompact integrated isolator by exploiting graphene's magneto-optical property on a silicon-on-insulator platform. The photonic nonreciprocity is achieved because the cyclotrons in graphene experiencing different optical spin exhibit different re…
Control of the electromagnetic waves in nano-scale structured materials is central to the development of next generation photonic circuits and devices. In this context, hyperbolic metamaterials, where elliptical isofrequency surfaces are morphed into surfaces with exotic hyperbolic topologies when the structure parameters are tuned, have shown unprecedented control over light propagation and interaction. Here we show that such topological transitions can be even more unusual when the hyperbolic metamaterial is endowed with nonreciprocity. Judicious design of metamaterials with reduced spatial …
In the article "Nonreciprocal Light Propagation in a Silicon Photonic Circuit" (Science 333, 729-733 (2011) a nonreciprocal waveguide system based on a combination of silicon, dielectrics and metals is reported. In this Comment it is explained that the interpretation with respect to nonreciprocity in this paper is incorrect and conflicts with the fundamental Lorentz reciprocity theorem. It is further pointed out that a previous publication already introduced the device concept.
Polarization is one of the basic properties of electromagnetic waves conveying valuable information in signal transmission and sensitive measurements. Conventional methods for advanced polarization control impose demanding requirements on material properties and attain only limited performance. Here, we demonstrate ultrathin, broadband, and highly efficient metamaterial-based terahertz polarization converters that are capable of rotating a linear polarization state into its orthogonal one. Based on these results we create metamaterial structures capable of realizing near-perfect anomalous refr…
