Polarization gaps in spiral photonic crystals

Abstract

We studied the optical properties of a dielectric photonic crystal structure with spirals arranged in a hexagonal lattice. The dielectric constant of the material is 9 and the filling ratio is 15.2%. We found that this kind of structure exhibits a significant polarization gap for light incident along the axis of the spirals. The eigenmodes inside the polarization gap are right-hand (left-hand) circularly polarized depending on the whether the spirals are left-handed (right-handed). The transmission spectrum of a slab of such a structure has been calculated and matches well with the analysis of the eigenmodes.

6 pages, 7 figures