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11:08
Fabrication And Characterization Of Photonic Crystal Slow Light Waveguides And Cavities
Published on: November 30, 2012
Spontaneous emission in coupled microcavity-waveguide structures at the band edge
David P Fussell1, Marc M Dignam
1Department of Physics, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. fussell@physics.queensu.ca
Optics Letters
|June 5, 2007
Summary
We studied light emission in coupled photonic crystal microcavities. Our efficient method reveals strong light-matter interactions at band edges, previously difficult to access.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Quantum Optics
- Condensed Matter Physics
Background:
- Microcavities and coupled-resonator optical waveguides (CROWs) are key components in photonic crystals.
- Understanding light-matter interactions, like spontaneous emission, is crucial for device applications.
- Previous theories often assumed weak coupling, limiting analysis of strong interaction regimes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate spontaneous emission and photon dynamics in microcavities coupled to CROWs.
- To develop an efficient computational method for analyzing large coupled-cavity systems.
- To explore strong coupling effects at both band center and band edge frequencies.
Main Methods:
- Developed an efficient tight-binding approach to calculate the Green tensor.
- Applied the method to analyze microcavity-CROW coupling in photonic crystals.
- Examined spontaneous emission rates under strong coupling conditions.
Main Results:
- Confirmed the validity of weak-coupling theories for microcavities at the band center.
- Observed strong peak splitting in band-edge coupled structures, a previously inaccessible regime.
- Demonstrated the capability of the tight-binding method for large, complex systems.
Conclusions:
- The tight-binding approach provides an efficient tool for studying coupled-cavity systems.
- Strong coupling at the band edge leads to significant changes in photon dynamics.
- This work opens new avenues for designing photonic devices with tailored light-matter interactions.
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