Q-factor and emission pattern control of the WG modes in notched microdisk resonators

Two-dimensional (2-D) boundary integral equation analysis of a notched circular microdisk resonator is presented. Results obtained provide accurate description of optical modes, free from the staircasing and discretization errors of other numerical techniques. Splitting of the double degenerate Whispering-Gallery (WG) modes and directional light output is demonstrated. The effect of the notch depth and width on the resonance wavelengths, Q-factors, and emission patterns is studied. Further improvement of the directionality is demonstrated in an elliptical notched microdisk. Applications of the notched resonators to the design of microdisk lasers, oscillators, and biosensors are discussed.Comment: 7 pages with 11 figures; to appear in IEEE J. Select. Topics Quantum. Electron., Jan/Feb 200

Spectral shift and Q-change of circular and square-shaped optical microcavity modes due to periodic sidewall surface roughness

Radiation loss and resonant frequency shift due to sidewall surface roughness of circular and square high-contrast microcavities are estimated and compared by using a boundary integral equations method. An effect of various harmonic components of the contour perturbation on the Whispering-Gallery (WG) modes in the circular microdisk and WG-like modes in the square microcavity is demonstrated. In both cases, contour deformations that are matched to the mode field pattern cause the most significant frequency detuning and Q-factor change. Favorably mode-matched deformations have been found, enabling one to manipulate the Q-factors of the microcavity modes.Comment: 5 pages with 6 figure

Efficient analysis and design of low-loss whispering-gallery-mode coupled resonator optical waveguide bends

Waveguides composed of electromagnetically-coupled optical microcavities (coupled resonator optical waveguides or CROWs) can be used for light guiding, slowing and storage. In this paper, we present a two-dimensional analysis of finite-size straight and curved CROW sections based on a rigorous Muller boundary integral equations method. We study mechanisms of the coupling of whispering gallery (WG) modes and guiding light around bends in CROWs composed of both identical and size-mismatched microdisk resonators. Our accurate analysis reveals differences in WG modes coupling in the vicinity of bends in CROWs composed of optically-large and wavelength-scale microcavities. We propose and discuss possible ways to design low-loss CROW bends and to reduce bend losses. These include selecting specific bend angles depending on the azimuthal order of the WG mode and tuning the radius of the microdisk positioned at the CROW bend.Comment: 8 pages with 10 figures (to appear in IEEE/OSA J. Lightwave Technology, 2007

Modelling antennas in outer space using the boundary element unstructured transmission-line (BEUT) method

In this paper the hybridization of the 2D time domain boundary element method (BEM) with the unstructured transmission line method (UTLM) is described. The novel method enables accurate modelling of radiating boundary conditions, excitation by plane waves, and efficient modelling of problems containing large free-space regions and non-uniform materials. The method has been developed to more accurately describe arbitrary surfaces and is demonstrated by comparing numerical results against analytical results

Coupling of unstructured TLM and BEM for accurate 2D electromagnetic simulation

In this paper the hybridisation of the 2D time-domain boundary element method (BEM) with the unstructured transmission line method (UTLM) will be introduced, which enables accurate modeling of radiating boundary conditions and plane wave excitations of uniform and non-uniform targets modelled by geometrically accurate unstructured meshes. The method is demonstrated by comparing numerical results against analytical results

A hybrid Boundary Element Unstructured Transmission-line (BEUT) method for accurate 2D electromagnetic simulation

Time domain electromagnetic simulation tools have the ability to model transient, wide-band applications, and non-linear problems. The Boundary Element Method (BEM) and the Transmission Line Modeling (TLM) method are both well established numerical techniques for simulating time-varying electromagnetic fields. The former surface based method can accurately describe outwardly radiating fields from piecewise uniform objects and efficiently deals with large domains filled with homogeneous media. The latter volume based method can describe inhomogeneous and non-linear media and has been proven to be unconditionally stable. Furthermore, the Unstructured TLM (UTLM) enables modelling of geometrically complex objects by using triangular meshes which removes staircasing and unnecessary extensions of the simulation domain. The hybridization of BEM and UTLM which is described in this paper is named the Boundary Element Unstructured Transmission-line (BEUT) method. It incorporates the advantages of both methods. The theory and derivation of the 2D BEUT method is described in this paper, along with any relevant implementation details. The method is corroborated by studying its correctness and efficiency compared to the traditional UTLM method when applied to complex problems such as the transmission through a system of Luneburg lenses and the modelling of antenna radomes for use in wireless communications

Impact of In-Situ Radome Lightning Diverter Strips on Antenna Performance

Lightning diverter strips are commonly used to protect the antenna and sensitive equipment within an airborne radome. This paper compares the impact of solid metallic and segmented diverter strips on the radiation properties of the enclosed antenna. Solid metallic and segmented diverter strips of different segment profiles, i.e., square, circular and diamond, are considered. The paper reports how the placement of diverters on the radome and their geometric detail affect the antenna parameters, namely reflection coefficient and far field pattern. Furthermore, the surface electric field intensity on segmented diverter strips is analyzed for different shapes, sizes and separations between the metallic segments

Photonic molecules made of matched and mismatched microcavities: new functionalities of microlasers and optoelectronic components

Photonic molecules, named by analogy with chemical molecules, are clusters of closely located electromagnetically interacting microcavities or "photonic atoms". As two or several microcavities are brought close together, their optical modes interact, and a rich spectrum of photonic molecule supermodes emerges, which depends both on geometrical and material properties of individual cavities and on their mutual interactions. Here, we discuss ways of controllable manipulation of photonic molecule supermodes, which improve or add new functionalities to microcavity-based optical components. We present several optimally-tuned photonic molecule designs for lowering thresholds of semiconductor microlasers, producing directional light emission, enhancing sensitivity of microcavity-based bio(chemical)sensors, and optimizing electromagnetic energy transfer around bends of coupled-cavity waveguides. Photonic molecules composed of identical microcavities as well as of microcavities with various degrees of size or material detuning are discussed. Microwave experiments on scaled photonic molecule structures are currently under way to confirm our theoretical predictions.Comment: 10 pages with 12 figure

Coupled electrothermal two-dimensional model for lightning strike prediction and thermal modeling using the TLM method

This paper presents a fully coupled two-dimensional (2-D) multiphysics model for predicting the location of the arc discharge and lightning channel, and modeling its thermal and electrical behavior as a highly conductive plasma channel. The model makes no assumptions on the physical location of the lightning channel but predicts its appearance purely from the electromagnetic (EM) field conditions. A heat diffusion model is combined with the time-varying nature of the EM problem where material properties switch from linear air material to a dispersive and nonlinear plasma channel. This multiphysics model is checked for self-consistency, stability, accuracy, and convergence on a canonical case where an arc channel is established between two metal electrodes upon exposure to an intensive electric field. The model is then applied to the 2-D study of a diverter strip for aircraft lightning protection