Magneto-optical circulator designed for operation in a uniform external magnetic field

Area of Science:

• * Physics
• * Materials Science
• * Electrical Engineering

Background:

• * Magnetophotonic crystals (MPCs) are crucial for developing advanced optical devices like circulators and isolators.
• * Designing resonant cavities with specific frequency characteristics is essential for device performance.
• * Existing methods for achieving mode splitting in MPC cavities can be complex or require specific magnetic field configurations.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To propose a new design approach for resonant cavities in MPC circulators and isolators.
• * To demonstrate a method for achieving significant splitting of counterrotating cavity modes without opposing magnetic fields.
• * To numerically validate the performance of a designed MPC circulator operating in a uniform external magnetic field.

Main Methods:

• * Analysis of a circularly symmetric cavity model.
• * Application of the multiple-scattering method extended for uniaxial gyrotropic materials.
• * Numerical simulation of a magnetophotonic crystal circulator.

Main Results:

• * Demonstrated a method to achieve significant eigenfrequency splitting of counterrotating cavity modes.
• * Showed that this splitting can be obtained without requiring subdomains magnetized in opposite directions.
• * Numerically verified the operation of an MPC circulator in a uniform external magnetic field.

Conclusions:

• * The proposed design approach offers a simplified and effective way to engineer resonant cavities for MPC devices.
• * This method provides a pathway for developing more efficient and practical circulators and isolators.
• * The findings contribute to the advancement of integrated photonic and microwave devices.