Long Term Observations of B2 1215+30 with Veritas

We report on VERITAS observations of the BL Lac object B2 1215+30 between 2008 and 2012. During this period, the source was detected at very high energies (VHEs; E \u3e 100 GeV) by VERITAS with a significance of 8.9σ and showed clear variability on timescales larger than months. In 2011, the source was found to be in a relatively bright state and a power-law fit to the differential photon spectrum yields a spectral index of 3.6 ± 0.4stat ± 0.3syst with an integral flux above 200 GeV of (8.0 ± 0.9stat ± 3.2syst) × 10−12 cm−2 s−1. No short term variability could be detected during the bright state in 2011. Multi-wavelength data were obtained contemporaneously with the VERITAS observations in 2011 and cover optical (Super-LOTIS, MDM, Swift/UVOT), X-ray (Swift/XRT), and gamma-ray (Fermi-LAT) frequencies. These were used to construct the spectral energy distribution (SED) of B2 1215+30. A one-zone leptonic model is used to model the blazar emission and the results are compared to those of MAGIC from early 2011 and other VERITAS-detected blazars. The SED can be reproduced well with model parameters typical for VHE-detected BL Lac objects. Key words: BL Lacertae objects: general – BL Lacertae objects: individual (B2 1215+30, VER J1217+301

Lower bound for the spatial extent of localized modes in photonic-crystal waveguides with small random imperfections

Light localization due to random imperfections in periodic media is paramount in photonics research. The group index is known to be a key parameter for localization near photonic band edges, since small group velocities reinforce light interaction with imperfections. Here, we show that the size of the smallest localized mode that is formed at the band edge of a one-dimensional periodic medium is driven instead by the effective photon mass, i.e. the flatness of the dispersion curve. Our theoretical prediction is supported by numerical simulations, which reveal that photonic-crystal waveguides can exhibit surprisingly small localized modes, much smaller than those observed in Bragg stacks thanks to their larger effective photon mass. This possibility is demonstrated experimentally with a photonic-crystal waveguide fabricated without any intentional disorder, for which near-field measurements allow us to distinctly observe a wavelength-scale localized mode despite the smallness (∼1/1000 of a wavelength) of the fabrication imperfections

Reflection from a free carrier front via an intraband indirect photonic transition

The reflection of light from moving boundaries is of interest both fundamentally and for applications in frequency conversion, but typically requires high pump power. By using a dispersion-engineered silicon photonic crystal waveguide, we are able to achieve a propagating free carrier front with only a moderate on-chip peak power of 6 W in a 6 ps-long pump pulse. We employ an intraband indirect photonic transition of a co-propagating probe, whereby the probe practically escapes from the front in the forward direction. This forward reflection has up to 35% efficiency and it is accompanied by a strong frequency upshift, which significantly exceeds that expected from the refractive index change and which is a function of group velocity, waveguide dispersion and pump power. Pump, probe and shifted probe all are around 1.5 μm wavelength which opens new possibilities for "on-chip" frequency manipulation and all-optical switching in optical telecommunications

Tight focusing with a binary microaxicon

Using a near-field scanning microscope (NT-MDT) with a 100nm aperture cantilever held 1 μm apart from a microaxicon of diameter 14 μm and period 800nm, we measure a focal spot resulting from the illumination by a linearly polarized laser light of wavelength λ ¼ 532nm, with itsFWHMbeing equal to 0:58λ, and the depth of focus being 5:6λ. The rms deviation of the focal spot intensity from the calculated value is 6%. The focus intensity is five times larger than the maximal illumination beam intensity.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Loss engineered slow light waveguides

Slow light devices such as photonic crystal waveguides (PhCW) and coupled resonator optical waveguides (CROW) have much promise for optical signal processing applications and a number of successful demonstrations underpinning this promise have already been made. Most of these applications are limited by propagation losses, especially for higher group indices. These losses are caused by technological imperfections ("extrinsic loss") that cause scattering of light from the waveguide mode. The relationship between this loss and the group velocity is complex and until now has not been fully understood. Here, we present a comprehensive explanation of the extrinsic loss mechanisms in PhC waveguides and address some misconceptions surrounding loss and slow light that have arisen in recent years. We develop a theoretical model that accurately describes the loss spectra of PhC waveguides. One of the key insights of the model is that the entire hole contributes coherently to the scattering process, in contrast to previous models that added up the scattering from short sections incoherently. As a result, we have already realised waveguides with significantly lower losses than comparable photonic crystal waveguides as well as achieving propagation losses, in units of loss per unit time (dB/ns) that are even lower than those of state-of-the-art coupled resonator optical waveguides based on silicon photonic wires. The model will enable more advanced designs with further loss reduction within existing technological constraints. (C) 2010 Optical Society of AmericaPublisher PDFPeer reviewe

Enhanced 1.54 mu m emission in Y-Er disilicate thin films on silicon photonic crystal cavities

We introduce an Y-Er disilicate thin film deposited on top of a silicon photonic crystal cavity as a gain medium for active silicon photonic devices. Using photoluminescence analysis, we demonstrate that Er luminescence at 1.54 mu m is enhanced by coupling with the cavity modes, and that the directionality of the Er optical emission can be controlled through far-field optimization of the cavity. We determine the maximum excitation power that can be coupled into the cavity to be 12 mW, which is limited by free carrier absorption and thermal heating. At maximum excitation, we observe that nearly 30% of the Er population is in the excited state, as estimated from the direct measurement of the emitted power. Finally, using time-resolved photoluminescence measurements, we determine a value of 2.3 for the Purcell factor of the system at room temperature. These results indicate that overcoating a silicon photonic nanostructure with an Er-rich dielectric layer is a promising method for achieving light emission at 1.54 mu m wavelength on a silicon platform.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

High numerical aperture metalens to generate an energy backflow

По технологии электронной литографии и ионного травления в тонкой плёнке аморфного кремния толщиной 130 нм изготовлена вихревая металинза диаметром 30 мкм с фокусным расстоянием, равным длине волны 633 нм, состоящая из 16 секторов субволновых бинарных решёток с периодом 220 нм. Уникальность такой металинзы в том, что при освещении её светом с левой круговой поляризацией формируется вихревой пучок с топологическим зарядом 2 и левой круговой поляризацией, а при освещении её светом с линейной поляризацией формируется векторный цилиндрический пучок второго порядка. Вблизи фокуса на оптической оси в обоих случаях (и для линейной, и для круговой поляризации) будет формироваться обратный поток энергии. Измеренные с помощью сканирующего ближнепольного оптического микроскопа распределения поперечной интенсивности вблизи фокуса металинзы качественно согласуются с распределениями интенсивности, рассчитанными FDTD-методом. Это подтверждает, что в фокусе такой металинзы имеет место обратный поток энергии. Металинза, формирующая обратный поток вблизи фокуса, изготовлена и исследована впервые. Using electronic beam lithography and reactive ion beam etching, a metalens is manufactured in a thin layer of amorphous silicon of a 130-nm depth, a 30-µm diameter, and a 633-nm focal length (equal to the illumination wavelength). The metalens is composed of 16 sectored subwavelength binary gratings with a 220-nm period. The uniqueness of this metalens is that when illuminated by left-handed circularly polarized light, it is capable of generating a left-handed circularly polarized vortex beam with a topological charge of 2, generating a second-order cylindrical vector beam when illuminated by linearly polarized light. Both for linear and circular incident polarization, an energy backflow is found to be generated in the vicinity of the tight focus. Transverse intensity distributions measured with a scanning near-field optical microscope near the focus of the metalens are in qualitative agreement with the intensity distributions calculated by the FDTD method. This confirms that a backward energy flow takes place at the focus of the metalens. A metalens generating an energy backflow near its focus is fabricated and characterized for the first time.Работа выполнена при поддержке Министерства науки и высшего образования в рамках выполнения работ по Государственному заданию ФНИЦ «Кристаллография и фотоника» РАН в частях «Введение» и «Заключение», Российского научного фонда (проект № 18-19-00595) в части «Эксперимент», Российского фонда фундаментальных исследований РФФИ (№ 18-29-20003) в части «Моделирование» и гранта Марии Кюри (№ 749143) в части «Изготовление металинзы»