Light-induced breaking of symmetry in photonic crystal waveguides with nonlinear defects as a key for all-optical switching circuits

摘要

We consider light transmission in 2D photonic crystal waveguide coupled withtwo identical nonlinear defects positioned symmetrically aside the waveguide.We show that with growth of injected light power there is a breaking ofsymmetry by two ways. In the first way the symmetry is broken because ofdifferent light intensities at the defects. In the second way the intensitiesat the defects are equaled but phases of complex amplitudes are different. Thatresults in a vortical power flow between the defects similar to the DCJosephson effect if the input power over the waveguide is applied and thedefects are coupled. As application of these phenomena we consider the symmetrybreaking for the light transmission in a T-shaped photonic waveguide with twononlinear defects. We demonstrate as this phenomenon can be explored forall-optical switching of light transmission from the left output waveguide tothe right one by application of input pulses. Finally we consider the symmetrybreaking in the waveguide coupled with single defect presented however by twodipole modes.