Study on the transmission characteristics and band structure of 2D and 3D plasma photonic crystals

In this paper, 2D and 3D plasma photonic crystals (PPCs) were constructed using argon-mercury glow discharge tubes. Firstly, the collisional radiative model (CRM) was established for the glow discharge process, the average electron density of plasma in the discharge tube was calculated, and the average electron density was experimentally diagnosed by microwave diagnosis. By comparing the calculated and experimental results, the variation range of the average electron density in the tube was given. Secondly, according to the analysis results of the average electron density, a layered model of the discharge tube was established, and the transmission characteristics of the 2D and 3D PPC were calculated and measured. Finally, to analyze the cause of the photonic bandgap (PBG) in the transmission spectra, the band structures of 2D and 3D PPC were calculated using the plane wave expansion (PWE) method and the symplectic finite difference time domain (SFDTD) method. The results show that: the layered model is a valid discharge tube model; for 2D PPC, the formation of Localized Surface Plasmons (LSPs) under TE polarization is the main cause of PBG generation, and the number of LSP bandgap increases as the electron density rises; The existence of cutoff bandgap under TM polarization is due to the cutoff effect of plasma on electromagnetic waves. For 3D PPC, both cutoff bandgap and LSP bandgap exist in the transmission spectra, and the cutoff bandgap is shifted to lower frequencies due to the presence of Fano mode. The results of the study can be used as a reference for communication, microwave device fabrication, and military target stealth.