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Electromagnetic surface waves of multilayer stacks: coupling between guided modes and Bloch modes
1Laboratoire de Physique du Solide (LPS), University of Namur, Facultes Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix, Namur, Belgium. cedric.vandenbem@fundp.ac.be
Optics Letters
|October 3, 2008
Summary
Surface mode dispersion in multilayer stacks is sensitive to the final layer
Area of Science:
- Photonics and optical materials science.
- Condensed matter physics.
Background:
- Multilayer stacks with high refractive index contrast exhibit complex optical phenomena.
- Surface modes are crucial for understanding light confinement and propagation in such structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how surface mode dispersion depends on the termination of multilayer stacks.
- To explore the influence of the final layer's thickness and position relative to photonic band edges on surface mode characteristics.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical analysis of stratified media.
- Numerical simulations of electromagnetic wave propagation in multilayer structures.
Main Results:
- Surface modes can shift across multiple bandgaps by altering the final layer thickness.
- The decay length of surface modes is strongly influenced by the distance to the photonic band edge.
- Electromagnetic energy is localized in the final layer near the bandgap center and extends over several periods near bandgap edges.
- Surface modes exhibit characteristics of guided modes, coupling with Bloch modes and forming evanescent fields.
Conclusions:
- The termination of multilayer stacks significantly impacts surface mode behavior.
- Precise control over layer thickness and position relative to band edges allows for tuning of surface mode properties.
- Understanding these dependencies is key for designing advanced optical devices and metamaterials.
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