Open AccessTaming the flow of light via active magneto-optical impurities
Author(s) -
Hamidreza Ramezani,
Zin Lin,
Samuel Kalish,
Tsampikos Kottos,
Vassilios Kovanis,
Ilya Vitebskiy
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.20.026200
Subject(s) - optics , birefringence , optical isolator , polarization (electrochemistry) , materials science , asymmetry , optoelectronics , physics , optical fiber , chemistry , quantum mechanics
We demonstrate that the interplay of a magneto-optical layer sandwiched between two judiciously balanced gain and loss layers which are both birefringent with misaligned in-plane anisotropy, induces unidirectional electromagnetic modes. Embedding one such optically active non-reciprocal unit between a pair of birefringent Bragg reflectors, results in an exceptionally strong asymmetry in light transmission. Remarkably, such asymmetry persists regardless of the incident light polarization. This photonic architecture may be used as the building block for chip-scale non-reciprocal devices such as optical isolators and circulators.