Electromagnetic wave analogue of an electronic diode

Shadrivov, IIya V., Fedotov, Vassili A., Powell, David A., Kivshar, Yuri S. and Zheludev, Nikolay I. (2011) Electromagnetic wave analogue of an electronic diode. New Journal of Physics, 13 (3), [033025]. (doi:10.1088/1367-2630/13/3/033025).

Abstract

An electronic diode is a nonlinear semiconductor circuit component that allows conduction of electrical current in one direction only. A component with similar functionality for electromagnetic waves, an electromagnetic isolator, is based on the Faraday effect of rotation of the polarization state and is also a key component in optical and microwave systems. Here we demonstrate a chiral electromagnetic diode, which is a direct analogue of an electronic diode: its functionality is underpinned by an extraordinarily strong nonlinear wave propagation effect in the same way as the electronic diode function is provided by the nonlinear current characteristic of a semiconductor junction. The effect exploited in this new electromagnetic diode is an intensity-dependent polarization change in an artificial chiral metamolecule. This microwave effect exceeds a similar optical effect previously observed in natural crystals by more than 12 orders of magnitude and a direction-dependent transmission that differs by a factor of 65.

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Contributors

Author: Nikolay I. Zheludev

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