Optical Properties Of Photonic Structures

The collection of articles in this book offers a penetrating shaft into the still burgeoning subject of light propagation and localization in photonic crystals and disordered media. While the subject has its origins in physics, it has broad significance and applicability in disciplines such as engineering, chemistry, mathematics, and medicine. Unli

Unlike most natural colours that are based on pigment absorption, the striking iridescent and intense colouration of many butterflies, birds or beetles stems from the interaction of light with periodic sub-micrometer surface or volume patterns, so called “photonic structures”. These “structural colours” are increasingly well understood, but they are difficult to create artificially and exploit technologically. In this thesis the field of natural structural colours and biomimetic photonic structures is covered in a wide scope, ranging from plant photonics to theoretical optics. It demonstrates diffractive elements on the petal surfaces of many flowering plant species; these form the basis for the study of the role of structural colours in pollinator attraction. Self-assembly techniques, combined with scale able nanofabrication methods, were used to create complex artificial photonic structures inspired by those found in nature. In particular, the colour effect of a Papilio butterfly was mimicked and, by variation of its design motive, enhanced. All photonic effects described here are underpinned by state-of-the-art model calculations.

The majority of the contributions in this topically edited book stems from the priority program SPP 1113 "Photonische Kristalle" run by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), resulting in a survey of the current state of photonic crystal research in Germany. The first part of the book describes methods for the theoretical analysis of their optical properties as well as the results. The main part is dedicated to the fabrication, characterization and modeling of two- and three-dimensional photonic crystals, while the final section presents a wide spectrum of applications: gas sensors, micro-lasers, and photonic crystal fibers. Illustrated in full color, this book is not only of interest to advanced students and researchers in physics, electrical engineering, and material science, but also to company R&D departments involved in photonic crystal-related technological developments.

Deals not only with the properties of the radiation modes inside the crystals but also with their peculiar optical response to external fields. A general theory of linear and nonlinear optical response is presented in a clear and detailed fashion using the Green’s function method. Important recent developments such as the enhancement of stimulated emission, second harmonic generation, quadrature-phase squeezing, and low-threshold lasing are likewise treated in detail and made understandable. Numerical methods are also emphasised. This book provides both introductory knowledge for graduate and undergraduate students and important ideas for researchers.

This book provides the theoretical background required for modelling photonic crystals and their optical properties, while presenting the large variety of devices where photonic crystals have found application. As such, it aims at building bridges between optics, electromagnetism and solid state physics. This second edition includes the most recent developments of two-dimensional photonic crystal devices, as well as some of the last results reported on metamaterials.

In the last decade, optically functionalized materials have developed rapidly, from bulk matters to structured forms. Now we have a rich variety of attractive advanced materials. They are applied to optical and electrical devices that support the information communication technology in the mid 21-th century. Accordingly, it is quite important to have a broad knowledge of the optical properties of advanced materials for students, scientists and engineers working in optics and related fields. This book is designed to teach fundamental optical properties of such advanced materials effectively. These materials have their own peculiarities which are very interesting in modern optical physics and also for applications because the concepts of optical properties are quite different from those in conventional optical materials. Hence each chapter starts to review the basic concepts of the materials briefly and proceeds to the practical use. The important topics covered in this book include: quantum structures of semiconductors, spintronics, photonic crystals, surface plasmons in metallic nanostructures, photonic metamaterials, liquid crystal materials, organic LED materials and magnet-optics.