Self-consistent photonic band structure of dielectric superlattices containing nonlinear optical materials

The theory of photonic crystals is extended to include the optical Kerr effect taking place in weak third-order, nonlinear materials present in the unit cell. The influence on the dispersion relations of the illumination caused by a single Bloch mode transiting through the crystal structure is examined. Special attention is given to the modification of the photonic gap width and position. Assuming an instantaneous change of refractive index with illumination, the nonlinear band structure problem is solved as a sequence of ordinary, linear band structure calculations, carried out in a plane-wave field representation.