Model for reflection and transmission matrices of nanowire end facets

Nanowires show a large potential for various electrooptical devices, such as light emitting diodes, solar cells and nanowire lasers. We present a direct method developed to calculate the modal reflection and transmission matrix at the end facets of a waveguide of arbitrary cross section, resulting in a generalized version of the Fresnel equations. The reflection can be conveniently computed using Fast Fourier Transforms. We demonstrate that the reflection is qualitatively described by two main parameters, the modal field confinement and the average Fresnel reflection of the plane waves constituting the waveguide mode.Comment: 11 pages,14 figure

Classical simulation of Quantum Entanglement using Optical Transverse Modes in Multimode Waveguides

We discuss mode-entangled states based on the optical transverse modes of the optical field propagating in multi-mode waveguides, which are classical analogs of the quantum entangled states. The analogs are discussed in detail, including the violation of the Bell inequality and the correlation properties of optical pulses' group delays. The research on these analogs may be important, for it not only provides useful insights into fundamental features of quantum entanglement, but also yields new insights into quantum computation and quantum communication.Comment: RevTeX v4, 17 pages and 4 figure

Theory of disorder-induced multiple coherent scattering in photonic crystal waveguides

We introduce a theoretical formalism to describe disorder-induced extrinsic scattering in slow-light photonic crystal waveguides. This work details and extends the optical scattering theory used in a recent \emph{Physical Review Letter} [M. Patterson \emph{et al.}, \emph{Phys. Rev. Lett.} \textbf{102}, 103901 (2009)] to describe coherent scattering phenomena and successfully explain complex experimental measurements. Our presented theory, that combines Green function and coupled mode methods, allows one to self-consistently account for arbitrary multiple scattering for the propagating electric field and recover experimental features such as resonances near the band edge. The technique is fully three-dimensional and can calculate the effects of disorder on the propagating field over thousands of unit cells. As an application of this theory, we explore various sample lengths and disordered instances, and demonstrate the profound effect of multiple scattering in the waveguide transmission. The spectra yield rich features associated with disorder-induced localization and multiple scattering, which are shown to be exasperated in the slow light propagation regime

Resonant Bend Loss in Leakage Channel Fibers

Leakage channel fibers, designed to suppress higher-order modes, demonstrate resonant power loss at certain critical radii of curvature. Outside the resonance, the power recovers to the levels offset by the usual mechanism of bend-induced loss. Using C$^2$-imaging, we experimentally characterize this anomaly and identify the corresponding physical mechanism as the radiative decay of the fundamental mode mediated by the resonant coupling to a cladding mode.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Optics Letter

Effect of an atom on a quantum guided field in a weakly driven fiber-Bragg-grating cavity

We study the interaction of an atom with a quantum guided field in a weakly driven fiber-Bragg-grating (FBG) cavity. We present an effective Hamiltonian and derive the density-matrix equations for the combined atom-cavity system. We calculate the mean photon number, the second-order photon correlation function, and the atomic excited-state population. We show that, due to the confinement of the guided cavity field in the fiber cross-section plane and in the space between the FBG mirrors, the presence of the atom in the FBG cavity can significantly affect the mean photon number and the photon statistics even though the cavity finesse is moderate, the cavity is long, and the probe field is weak.Comment: Accepted for Phys. Rev.

Atom trapping and guiding with a subwavelength-diameter optical fiber

We suggest using an evanescent wave around a thin fiber to trap atoms. We show that the gradient force of a red-detuned evanescent-wave field in the fundamental mode of a silica fiber can balance the centrifugal force when the fiber diameter is about two times smaller than the wavelength of the light and the component of the angular momentum of the atoms along the fiber axis is in an appropriate range. As an example, the system should be realizable for Cesium atoms at a temperature of less than 0.29 mK using a silica fiber with a radius of 0.2 $\mu$m and a 1.3-$\mu$m-wavelength light with a power of about 27 mW.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Unified theory for Goos-H\"{a}nchen and Imbert-Fedorov effects

A unified theory is advanced to describe both the lateral Goos-H\"{a}nchen (GH) effect and the transverse Imbert-Fedorov (IF) effect, through representing the vector angular spectrum of a 3-dimensional light beam in terms of a 2-form angular spectrum consisting of its 2 orthogonal polarized components. From this theory, the quantization characteristics of the GH and IF displacements are obtained, and the Artmann formula for the GH displacement is derived. It is found that the eigenstates of the GH displacement are the 2 orthogonal linear polarizations in this 2-form representation, and the eigenstates of the IF displacement are the 2 orthogonal circular polarizations. The theoretical predictions are found to be in agreement with recent experimental results.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figure

Slow light, open cavity formation, and large longitudinal electric field on slab waveguide made of indefinite permittivity materials

The optical properties of slab waveguides made of indefinite permittivity (\vep) materials (IEM) are considered. In this medium the transverse permittivity is negative while the longitudinal permittivity is positive. At any given frequency the waveguide supports an infinite number of transverse magnetic (TM) eigenmodes. For a slab waveguide with a fixed thickness, at most only one TM mode is forward-wave. The rest of them are backward waves which can have very large phase index. At a critical thickness, the waveguide supports degenerate forward- and backward-wave modes with zero group velocity. Above the critical thickness, the waveguide supports complex-conjugate decay modes instead of propagating modes. The presence of loss in IEMs will lift the degeneracy, resulting in modes with finite group velocity. Feasible realization is proposed. The performance of IEM waveguide is analyzed and possible applications are discussed which are supported by numerical calculations. These slab waveguides can be used to make optical delay lines in optical buffers to slow down and trap light, to form open cavities, to generate strong longitudinal electric fields, and as phase shifters in optical integrated circuits.Comment: 14 figures, 12 pages in RevTex

Angular sensitivity of blowfly photoreceptors: intracellular measurements and wave-optical predictions

The angular sensitivity of blowfly photoreceptors was measured in detail at wavelengths λ = 355, 494 and 588 nm. The measured curves often showed numerous sidebands, indicating the importance of diffraction by the facet lens. The shape of the angular sensitivity profile is dependent on wavelength. The main peak of the angular sensitivities at the shorter wavelengths was flattened. This phenomenon as well as the overall shape of the main peak can be quantitatively described by a wave-optical theory using realistic values for the optical parameters of the lens-photoreceptor system. At a constant response level of 6 mV (almost dark adapted), the visual acuity of the peripheral cells R1-6 is at longer wavelengths mainly diffraction limited, while at shorter wavelengths the visual acuity is limited by the waveguide properties of the rhabdomere. Closure of the pupil narrows the angular sensitivity profile at the shorter wavelengths. This effect can be fully described by assuming that the intracellular pupil progressively absorbs light from the higher order modes. In light-adapted cells R1-6 the visual acuity is mainly diffraction limited at all wavelengths.