Nonreciprocal switching thresholds in coupled nonlinear microcavities

Abstract

A novel concept for the design of nonlinear optical diodes is proposed which uses the multistability of coupled nonlinear microcavities and the dependence of switching thresholds on the direction of incidence. A typical example of such diode can be created by combining two mirror symmetric microcavities where modes of the opposite parity dominate. It is shown that a strong nonreciprocal behavior can be achieved together with a negligible insertion loss. To describe the dynamical properties of such systems, a model based on the coupled mode theory is developed, and a possible implementation in the form of multilayered structures is considered.

3 pages, 3 figures

References in corpus (3)

• All-optical diode action in asymmetric nonlinear photonic multilayers with perfect transmission resonances
• Elliptical dichroism: operating principle of planar chiral metamaterials
• Resonant self-pulsations in coupled nonlinear microcavities