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Slow light and chromatic temporal dispersion in photonic crystal waveguides using femtosecond time of flight

Slow light and chromatic temporal dispersion in photonic crystal waveguides using femtosecond time of flight
Slow light and chromatic temporal dispersion in photonic crystal waveguides using femtosecond time of flight
Abstract: We report time-of-flight experiments on photonic-crystal waveguide structures using optical Kerr gating of a femtosecond white-light supercontinuum. These photonic-crystal structures, based on engineered silicon nitride slab waveguides, possess broadband low-loss guiding properties, allowing the group velocity dispersion of optical pulses to be directly tracked as a function of wavelength. This dispersion is shown to be radically disrupted by the spectral band gaps associated with the photonic-crystal periodicity. Increased time-of-flight effects, or “slowed light,” are clearly observed at the edges of band gaps in agreement with two-dimensional plane-wave theoretical models of group velocity dispersion. A universal model for slow light in such photonic crystals is proposed, which shows that slow light is controlled predominantly by the detuning from, and the size of, the photonic band gaps. Slowed light observed up to time delays of 1 ps, corresponds to anomalous dispersion of 3.5 ps/nm per mm of the photonic crystal structure. From the decreasing intensity of timegated slow light as a function of time delay, we estimate the characteristic losses of modes which are guided in the spectral proximity of the photonic band gaps.
1539-3755
016619-[10pp]
Finlayson, C.E.
bcc6c2a7-e346-4b08-93e7-be12c7033dac
Cattaneo, F.
36d88557-2e46-43a7-871d-b1ed72a45a9e
Perney, N.M.B.
65e1274d-31b3-4d60-81a3-7e4af9719c03
Baumberg, J.J.
78e1ea7e-8c70-404c-bf84-59aafe75cd07
Netti, M.C.
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Zoorob, M.E.
01b3a61a-95c3-45d5-a06b-caa91c734cfd
Charlton, M.D.B.
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Parker, G.J.
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Finlayson, C.E.
bcc6c2a7-e346-4b08-93e7-be12c7033dac
Cattaneo, F.
36d88557-2e46-43a7-871d-b1ed72a45a9e
Perney, N.M.B.
65e1274d-31b3-4d60-81a3-7e4af9719c03
Baumberg, J.J.
78e1ea7e-8c70-404c-bf84-59aafe75cd07
Netti, M.C.
e565f0dc-9641-4f19-a536-f1c1f01ea0dd
Zoorob, M.E.
01b3a61a-95c3-45d5-a06b-caa91c734cfd
Charlton, M.D.B.
927297c4-a051-4ccf-a81c-e1b606c499e2
Parker, G.J.
0be0b760-c634-410d-adf6-076c6636be7e

Finlayson, C.E., Cattaneo, F., Perney, N.M.B., Baumberg, J.J., Netti, M.C., Zoorob, M.E., Charlton, M.D.B. and Parker, G.J. (2006) Slow light and chromatic temporal dispersion in photonic crystal waveguides using femtosecond time of flight. Physical Review E, 73 (1), 016619-[10pp]. (doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.73.016619).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Abstract: We report time-of-flight experiments on photonic-crystal waveguide structures using optical Kerr gating of a femtosecond white-light supercontinuum. These photonic-crystal structures, based on engineered silicon nitride slab waveguides, possess broadband low-loss guiding properties, allowing the group velocity dispersion of optical pulses to be directly tracked as a function of wavelength. This dispersion is shown to be radically disrupted by the spectral band gaps associated with the photonic-crystal periodicity. Increased time-of-flight effects, or “slowed light,” are clearly observed at the edges of band gaps in agreement with two-dimensional plane-wave theoretical models of group velocity dispersion. A universal model for slow light in such photonic crystals is proposed, which shows that slow light is controlled predominantly by the detuning from, and the size of, the photonic band gaps. Slowed light observed up to time delays of 1 ps, corresponds to anomalous dispersion of 3.5 ps/nm per mm of the photonic crystal structure. From the decreasing intensity of timegated slow light as a function of time delay, we estimate the characteristic losses of modes which are guided in the spectral proximity of the photonic band gaps.

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Published date: 2006

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Local EPrints ID: 19358
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/19358
ISSN: 1539-3755
PURE UUID: 44ff70f8-8ea4-4c13-a73d-9b7b06b8fe19

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Date deposited: 10 Feb 2006
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 06:14

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Contributors

Author: C.E. Finlayson
Author: F. Cattaneo
Author: N.M.B. Perney
Author: J.J. Baumberg
Author: M.C. Netti
Author: M.E. Zoorob
Author: M.D.B. Charlton
Author: G.J. Parker

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