Alexander V. Baryshev

Optical Tamm States in One-Dimensional Magnetophotonic Structures

We demonstrate the existence of a spectrally narrow localized surface state, the so-called optical Tamm state, at the interface between one-dimensional magnetophotonic and nonmagnetic photonic crystals. The state is spectrally located inside the photonic band gaps of each of the photonic crystals comprising this magnetophotonic structure. This state is associated with a sharp transmission peak through the sample and is responsible for the substantial enhancement of the Faraday rotation for the corresponding wavelength. The experimental results are in excellent agreement with the theoretical predictions.

Anomalous Faraday effect of a system with extraordinary optical transmittance.

It is shown theoretically that the Faraday rotation becomes anomalously large and exhibits extraordinary behavior near the frequencies of the extraordinary optical transmittance through optically thick perforated metal film with holes filled with a magneto-optically active material. This phenomenon is explained as result of strong confinement of the evanescent electromagnetic field within magnetic material, which occurs due to excitation of the coupled plasmon-polaritons on the opposite surfaces of the film.

One-way electromagnetic Tamm states in magnetophotonic structures

We study surface Tamm states in magnetophotonic structures magnetized in the Cotton–Mouton (Voigt) geometry. We demonstrate that the periodicity violation due to the structure truncation together with the violation of the time reversal symmetry due to the presence of magneto-optical materials gives rise to nonreciprocality of the surface modes. Dispersion of forward and backward modes splits and becomes magnetization dependent. This results in the magnetization-induced transitions between bulk and surface modes and unidirectional propagation of surface waves.

Investigating the use of magnonic crystals as extremely sensitive magnetic field sensors at room temperature

We have experimentally demonstrated that a magnonic crystal—an artificial magnetic structure for controlling propagation of magnetostatic waves—can be used as an extremely sensitive sensor for detecting magnetic fields. Functional characteristics of the sensor were studied at room temperature and in a normal noisy space without considering any magnetic shielding.

Magnetophotonic Materials and Their Applications

Experimental and theoretical studies of light coupling to various magnetic nanostructured media and nanocomposites are briefly reported. Enhancement of the magneto-optical response is shown to occur when the constitutive materials of photonic crystals are magnetic. Transmission and reflection types of 1D magnetophotonic crystals (MPCs) have been studied. New possibility to enhance the magneto-optical response has been found when utilizing localized surface plasmon resonances in bismuth-substituted yttrium iron garnet (Bi:YIG) films impregnated with Au nanoparticles. Examples of integrated optic devices are discussed in which functional elements are 1D and 2D magnetophotonic crystals.

Reverse and enhanced magneto-optics of opal-garnet heterostructures

Magnetophotonic heterostructures comprising two thin opal films and a layer of bismuth-substituted yttrium iron garnet were fabricated. Such heterostructures combined properties of 1D, 2D and 3D photonic crystals. Their spectra demonstrated various optical resonances resulting in reverse and enhanced magneto-optical responses.

Optical waveguide circulators based on two-dimensional magnetophotonic crystals: Numerical simulation for structure simplification and experimental verification

We demonstrate results of a numerical analysis on functionality of waveguide circulators working in the spectral range of optical communication. Studied circulators were silicon-based three-port waveguide splitters where working elements were slabs of two-dimensional magnetophotonic crystals (2D MPCs) with different structural parameters. An optimized circulator had a 2D MPC slab–hexagonal array of cylindrical air holes in silicon with a magneto-optical defect made of bismuth-substituted yttrium iron garnet and demonstrated an insertion loss of 9 dB and an isolation of 16 dB. If compared to circulators reported in Z. Wan and S. Fan [Appl. Phys. B 81, 369 (2005)], the studied circulators are attractive for realization due to the relative simplicity of their designs.

Faraday rotation of a magnetophotonic crystal with the dual-cavity structure

We demonstrated optical properties of a one-dimensional magnetophotonic crystal (MPC) which comprises two magnetic defects built into a dielectric multilayer. This MPC with the so-called dual-cavity structure exhibited resonant transmittance and enhancement of the Faraday rotation at a designed wavelength. A double peak that is intrinsic feature of dual cavities was observed in the spectrum of the Faraday rotation. However, the peak of resonant transmission had a bell-type shape. These results are in agreement with our theoretical consideration where a structural disorder in the experimental sample was taken into account.

Novel magnetophotonic crystals controlled by the electro-optic effect for non-reciprocal high-speed modulators

We present a new type of electro- and magneto-optical spatial light modulators (e-MOSLMs) utilizing the concept of photonic crystals (PCs) – such e-MOSLMs have a microcavity structure. They comprise a magneto-optical (MO) and electro-optical (EO) constituents that can control the direction of the polarization plane, when applying voltage and/or external magnetic fields. Optical spectra of e-MOSLMs were analyzed by using the matrix approach. Calculations showed that e-MOSLMs can change the direction of polarization over a considerably large range of angles at relatively low power consumption and with no significant change of the light intensity.

Multiple Bragg diffraction in magnetophotonic crystals

We demonstrate properties of magnetophotonic crystals (MPCs) with quasi-two-dimensional structure. Crystals were bismuth-substituted yttrium iron garnet/silicon dioxide (Bi:YIG/SiO2) multilayers sputtered on top of one-dimensional structured substrates. Parameters of these MPCs were such that two spectrally neighboring stop bands overlapped in their spectra. For MPCs in this multiple Bragg diffraction regime, we observed a strong dispersion of their magneto-optical responses—an enhancement of the polarization rotation and an alteration of the rotation sign.