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Updated: Jul 9, 2025
10:35
Using Microwave and Macroscopic Samples of Dielectric Solids to Study the Photonic Properties of Disordered Photonic Bandgap Materials
Published on: September 26, 2014
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Vectorial characterization of surface wave via one-dimensional photonic-atomic structure
M Asadolah Salmanpour1, M Mosleh1, S M Hamidi2
1Magneto-Plasmonic Lab, Laser and Plasma Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
Scientific Reports
|December 8, 2023
Summary
Researchers quantitatively characterized Tamm surface waves (TSW) polarization using a hybrid photonic crystal-atomic vapor system. This method precisely determines TSW polarization, enabling advanced applications in optics and photonics.
Area of Science:
- Photonics and Wave Phenomena
- Atomic Physics and Spectroscopy
- Materials Science
Background:
- Tamm surface waves (TSW) are guided electromagnetic waves at the interface of periodic dielectric media, with potential applications in optics.
- Characterizing the polarization state of TSWs is crucial for their practical exploitation but remains challenging due to their non-intuitive nature.
- Existing methods cannot easily extract TSW polarization from reflection spectra.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively characterize the polarization state of Tamm surface waves (TSW).
- To investigate the interaction between TSWs and rubidium atomic gas under an external magnetic field.
- To redefine the geometry of Voigt and Faraday configurations for evanescent waves, specifically TSWs.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a hybrid system combining a 1D photonic crystal with a rubidium atomic vapor cell.
- Excitation of TSWs on the surface of the 1D photonic crystal.
- Application of an external magnetic field to induce orientation-dependent changes in reflection intensity and absorption spectra.
Main Results:
- Observed modifications in reflection spectrum transition lines dependent on magnetic field orientation and TSW transverse spin.
- Successfully redefined Voigt and Faraday geometries for evanescent waves, including TSWs.
- Extracted the ratio of longitudinal and transverse electric field components of the TSW polarization vector using mathematical analysis of absorption spectra.
Conclusions:
- The developed hybrid system enables quantitative assessment of TSW polarization.
- The orientation-sensitive interaction with atomic vapor provides a new method for characterizing evanescent waves.
- This research paves the way for advanced applications utilizing precisely controlled TSW polarization.
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