Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026
09:23
Quantum State Engineering of Light with Continuous-wave Optical Parametric Oscillators
Published on: May 30, 2014
Bound States in the continuum in photonics.
D C Marinica1, A G Borisov, S V Shabanov
1Laboratoire des Collisions Atomiques et Moléculaires, UMR CNRS-Université Paris-Sud 8625, Bâtiment 351, Université Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France.
Physical Review Letters
|June 4, 2008
Summary
Researchers demonstrate bound states in the continuum (BICs) in photonic systems. These interactions create zero-width scattering resonances with potential applications in sensing and filtering.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Electromagnetism
- Quantum Mechanics
Background:
- Bound states in the continuum (BICs) are quantum phenomena where localized states exist within a continuum of radiating states.
- Understanding BIC phenomena in classical wave systems like photonics can reveal new physical insights and applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the emergence of bound states in the continuum (BICs) in parallel dielectric gratings and cylinder arrays.
- To demonstrate scattering resonances with near-zero width resulting from trapped electromagnetic mode interactions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized theoretical analysis and numerical simulations of two parallel dielectric gratings.
- Examined two arrays of thin parallel dielectric cylinders to model electromagnetic mode interactions.
Main Results:
- Observed scattering resonances with practically zero width due to the interaction of trapped electromagnetic modes.
- Confirmed the existence of bound states in the continuum (BICs) in the studied photonic structures.
Conclusions:
- The interaction of trapped electromagnetic modes can effectively create bound states in the continuum (BICs) in photonic systems.
- These photonic BICs offer potential for significant amplification of electromagnetic fields, enhancing nonlinear phenomena.
- Applications include advanced biosensing, perfect filters, waveguides, and impurity detection.
Related Concept Videos
02:32The de Broglie Wavelength
In the macroscopic world, objects that are large enough to be seen by the naked eye follow the rules of classical physics. A billiard ball moving on a table will behave like a particle; it will continue traveling in a straight line unless it collides with another ball, or it is acted on by some other force, such as friction. The ball has a well-defined position and velocity or well-defined momentum, p = mv, which is defined by mass m and velocity v at any given moment. This is the typical...
01:01Energy Bands in Solids
Isolated atoms have discrete energy levels that are well described by the Bohr model. And, it quantifies the energy of an electron in a hydrogen atom as En. Higher quantum numbers 'n' yield less negative, closer electron energy levels.
Band Formation:
When atoms are brought close together, as in a solid, these discrete energy levels begin to split due to the overlap of electron orbitals from adjacent atoms. This split occurs because of the Pauli exclusion principle, which states that no two...
Band Formation:
When atoms are brought close together, as in a solid, these discrete energy levels begin to split due to the overlap of electron orbitals from adjacent atoms. This split occurs because of the Pauli exclusion principle, which states that no two...
01:28Standing Waves in a Cavity
A household microwave and lasers are examples of standing electromagnetic waves in a cavity. When two conducting metal plates are placed parallel at the nodal planes, it creates a cavity where standing waves are formed. The cavity between the two planes is analogous to a stretched string held at the points x = 0 and x = L. Here, the distance 'L' between the two planes must be an integer multiple of half of the wavelength. The wavelengths that satisfy this condition are given by:
02:12The Wave Nature of Light
The nature of light has been a subject of inquiry since antiquity. In the seventeenth century, Isaac Newton performed experiments with lenses and prisms and was able to demonstrate that white light consists of the individual colors of the rainbow combined together. Newton explained his optics findings in terms of a "corpuscular" view of light, in which light was composed of streams of extremely tiny particles traveling at high speeds according to Newton's laws of motion.
01:07Propagation of Waves
When a wave propagates from one medium to another, part of it may get reflected in the first medium, and part of it may get transmitted to the second medium. In such a case, the interface of the two mediums can be considered as a boundary that is neither fixed nor free.
Consider a scenario where a wave propagates from a string of low linear mass density to a string of high linear mass density. In such a case, the reflected wave is out of phase with respect to the incident wave, however the...
Consider a scenario where a wave propagates from a string of low linear mass density to a string of high linear mass density. In such a case, the reflected wave is out of phase with respect to the incident wave, however the...
01:30Electromagnetic Waves in Matter
Electromagnetic waves can travel in the vacuum as well as in matter. For example light, which is an electromagnetic wave, can travel through air, water, or glass.
Consider the electromagnetic wave passing through a dielectric medium. In such a case, Maxwell's equations get modified. In Ampere's law, ε0 , the dielectric permittivity of free space is replaced with ε, the permittivity of dielectric. Also, the vacuum permeability μ0 is replaced by the permeability of the medium, μ.
Furthermore, the...
Consider the electromagnetic wave passing through a dielectric medium. In such a case, Maxwell's equations get modified. In Ampere's law, ε0 , the dielectric permittivity of free space is replaced with ε, the permittivity of dielectric. Also, the vacuum permeability μ0 is replaced by the permeability of the medium, μ.
Furthermore, the...