Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 18, 2026
11:08
Fabrication And Characterization Of Photonic Crystal Slow Light Waveguides And Cavities
Published on: November 30, 2012
Visible light Laue diffraction from woodpile photonic crystals
Björn Brüser1, Isabelle Staude, Georg von Freymann
1University of Siegen, Department of Physics, Walter-Flex-Strasse 3, 57072 Siegen, Germany.
Applied Optics
|October 4, 2012
Summary
Bragg diffraction analysis of 3D woodpile photonic crystals shows the single scattering approach is accurate for refractive index contrasts below 0.15. Beyond this, multiple scattering effects become significant.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Materials Science
- Crystallography
Background:
- Bragg diffraction is a standard method for evaluating photonic crystal structural quality.
- High refractive index contrast in photonic crystals can lead to multiple scattering, complicating analysis of Laue diagrams.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the limits of the single (kinematic) scattering approach for visible light scattering by 3D woodpile photonic crystals.
- To establish a classification for scattering regimes based on refractive index contrast (Δn).
Main Methods:
- Systematic study of visible light scattering by 3D woodpile photonic crystals with varying Δn.
- Classification of measured scattering curves and Bragg peak intensity distributions.
- Numerical simulations solving Maxwell's equations to confirm experimental findings.
Main Results:
- The kinematic scattering approach accurately describes experimental scattering curves for Δn < 0.15.
- A transition to multiple scattering is observed for Δn between 0.16 and 0.25.
- Multiple scattering dominates for Δn > 0.25.
Conclusions:
- The refractive index contrast is a critical parameter in determining the validity of the kinematic scattering approximation for photonic crystals.
- A clear boundary exists between single and multiple scattering regimes, crucial for accurate structural analysis.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
02:18Interference and Diffraction
Interference is a characteristic phenomenon exhibited by waves. When two electromagnetic waves interact with their peaks and troughs coinciding, a resulting wave with enhanced amplitude is produced. This is known as constructive interference. In this case, the two waves interacting are in phase with each other.
01:14Photoluminescence: Applications
Photoluminescence offers a wide range of applications due to its inherent sensitivity and selectivity. This technique allows for both direct and indirect analyses of the analyte. Direct quantitative analysis is possible when the analyte exhibits a favorable quantum yield for fluorescence or phosphorescence. However, an indirect analysis may be feasible if the analyte is not fluorescent or phosphorescent, or if the quantum yield is unfavorable. Indirect methods include reacting the analyte with...
01:29Determination of Crystal Structures
In the late 1800s, the revelation that light extended beyond visible wavelengths led to the discovery of X-rays by Wilhelm Roentgen. Recognized as high-energy electromagnetic radiation with short wavelengths, X-rays prompted exploration into their interaction with crystals. Max von Laue proposed in 1912 that the periodic arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules in crystals would cause them to diffract X-rays, a hypothesis confirmed through experiments with copper sulfate and zinc sulfide...
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.
02:26Photoelectric Effect
When light of a particular wavelength strikes a metal surface, electrons are emitted. This is called the photoelectric effect. The minimum frequency of light that can cause such emission of electrons is called the threshold frequency, which is specific to the metal. Light with a frequency lower than the threshold frequency, even if it is of high intensity, cannot initiate the emission of electrons. However, when the frequency is higher than the threshold value, the number of electrons ejected...
02:18X-ray Crystallography
The size of the unit cell and the arrangement of atoms in a crystal may be determined from measurements of the diffraction of X-rays by the crystal, termed X-ray crystallography.
Diffraction
Diffraction is the change in the direction of travel experienced by an electromagnetic wave when it encounters a physical barrier whose dimensions are comparable to those of the wavelength of the light. X-rays are electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths about as long as the distance between neighboring...
Diffraction
Diffraction is the change in the direction of travel experienced by an electromagnetic wave when it encounters a physical barrier whose dimensions are comparable to those of the wavelength of the light. X-rays are electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths about as long as the distance between neighboring...