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Universal Behavior of the Scattering Matrix Near Thresholds in Photonics
Charles C Wojcik1, Haiwen Wang2, Meir Orenstein3
1Department of Electrical Engineering, Ginzton Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
Abstract:
Scattering thresholds and their associated spectral square root branch points are ubiquitous in photonics. In this Letter, we show that the scattering matrix has a simple universal behavior near scattering thresholds. We use unitarity, reciprocity, and time-reversal symmetry to construct a two-parameter model for a two-port scattering matrix near a threshold. We demonstrate this universal behavior in three different optical systems, namely, a photonic crystal slab, a planar dielectric interface, and a junction between metallic waveguides of different widths.
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