Light transport in one-dimensional arrays of infinitesimal magnetoactive dielectric sheets: Theory and numerical simulations

Abstract

We have provided a complete description of light propagation at an oblique angle of incidence in disordered one-dimensional (1D) ultrathin magnetophotonic crystals with an arbitrary number of sheets. We have shown that in the long-wavelength limit, when the parameter d L,R λ is much less than unity (L,R is the relative permittivity for left-and right-polarized light, d is the thickness of the sheet, and λ is the wavelength), the photon transport problem in a 1D magnetophotonic crystal is identical to Anderson's two-channel model. In our discussion we include mode conversion and derive exact and closed analytical expressions for all scattering matrix elements. We have calculated the Faraday and Kerr rotational angles for a periodic system. Our formulas predict correctly the main trends of magneto-optic effects in 1D systems. We also derived analytical expressions for photon localization lengths, in a weak disordered regime, for s and p modes and for circular polarized light. We demonstrate that the presence of coupling modes enhances ξ s and reduces ξ p with respect to the values ξ s (0) and ξ p (0) obtained when the coupling modes are absent. Presented analytical expressions for localization lengths are in good agreement with numerical calculations, exact up to order δ 2 (δ being the disorder strength), and valid up to angles of incidence of 1.56 rad.

Plasmon-enhanced Faraday rotation in thin films

“…The above mentioned derivative gets its maximal values at the edges of these bands. Similar behavior for the Faraday rotation was found in 1D periodical systems 20,21 .…”

Disordered animal multilayer reflectors and the localization of light

“…The case of a polarization-insensitive reflection occurs for a mixture of Type 1 and Type 2 crystals and corresponds to the ‘two-crystal system’ described in [ 22 ]. The inclusion of Type 2 crystals leads to cross reflectivity and transmissivity terms, R sp , R ps , T sp , T ps , and following the approach in [ 64 ] the localization lengths are computed using T s = T ss + T sp and T p = T pp + T ps .…”