Optical transmittance of photonic structures with logarithmically similar dielectric constituents

• Published in: Journal of optics (2010) 2012-01, Vol.14 (1), p.015101-1-11
• Main Authors: Rauh, H, Yampolskaya, G I, Yampolskii, S V
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Constituents; Dielectrics; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Low frequencies; Maxima; Opacity; Optical materials; Optics; Photonic bandgap materials; Photonics; Physics; Stacks; Transmittance
• ISSN: 2040-8986; 2040-8978; 2040-8986
• DOI: 10.1088/2040-8978/14/1/015101

The optical transmittance of one-dimensional, logarithmically similar, layered stacks of pairs of lossless dielectric plates for linearly polarized, normally incident electromagnetic radiation is studied both analytically and numerically. Resorting to an analysis of the respective photonic modes, the dependence on frequency of the optical property addressed is established for a singly logarithmic stack as well as for two of its symmetric derivatives, an outbound doubly logarithmic stack and an inbound doubly logarithmic stack. Given specified constraints on the structural and dielectric parameters that delineate these stacks, the following key results come to the fore: the transmittance of the singly logarithmic stack shows single oscillatory maxima of almost full height at low frequencies and total quench at larger frequencies; the transmittance of the outbound doubly logarithmic stack shows twinned oscillatory maxima of full height at low frequencies, supplemented with a sharp, full resonance at a higher frequency against a background of suppressed transparency; the transmittance of the inbound doubly logarithmic stack shows twinned oscillatory maxima of full height at low frequencies, supplemented with a series of pairs of sharp spikes of full transparency for higher frequencies against a background of suppressed transparency. Thus, one-dimensional photonic structures generated by logarithmically similar dielectric constituents are capable of unfolding desirable and useful optical properties: transparency at low frequencies, but opacity, or selectivity, at higher frequencies, in one single photonic device.