Facile way to obtain multiple interface modes in a photonic crystal heterostructure

Area of Science:

• Condensed matter physics
• Photonics and optical materials

Background:

• Photonic crystals offer unique light manipulation properties.
• Controlling interface modes is crucial for advanced photonic devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a facile method for generating multiple interface modes in one-dimensional photonic crystal heterostructures.
• To investigate the relationship between the number of interfaces and the generated interface modes.
• To explore the band structure and energy level characteristics of these interface modes.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical analysis of one-dimensional photonic crystal heterostructures.
• Investigating the role of geometric Zak phase in mode generation.
• Analyzing the band structure and renormalization of band branches.

Main Results:

• Multiple interface modes can be easily generated by introducing interfaces.
• The number of interface modes equals the number of introduced interfaces.
• Two distinct band branches are formed, governed by different interfaces.
• These band branches can be renormalized into a single branch with discrete sinusoidal energy levels.

Conclusions:

• The proposed method provides a straightforward way to control interface modes in photonic crystals.
• The findings offer practical guidance for designing and fabricating photonic devices.
• This approach simplifies the estimation and characterization of practical photonic crystal samples.