Pas Pal Akis 2006
Pas Pal Akis 2006
Pas Pal Akis 2006
www.elsevier.com/locate/optcom
Received 31 January 2005; received in revised form 21 July 2005; accepted 25 July 2005
Abstract
We propose a three-waveguide directional coupler based on adiabatic evolution of a single normal mode of the sys-
tem and analyze its switching properties using coupled mode theory. In our scheme the propagation coefficients of the
waveguides are constant and the coupling coefficients are variable. This device works in the case that the propagation
coefficients of the two outer waveguides are identical and that the coupling coefficients are designed to act in a coun-
terintuitive order.
2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Three-waveguide directional coupler; Variable coupling coefficient; Adiabatic evolution; Counterintuitive coupling
sequence
Optical waveguide directional couplers and their The advantage of the schemes based on adiabatic
switching properties have attracted a lot of re- evolution of a single mode over the conventional
search interest in integrated optics [1–3]. A particu- schemes is that the switching properties of adia-
lar set of schemes in this area involves two- [4–6] batic schemes are tolerant to small to moderate
and three-waveguide [7,8] directional couplers with variations of the systemÕs parameters (coupling
variable (tapered) coupling coefficients and vari- coefficients and propagation coefficients).
able propagation coefficients. The switching prop- In this work we study optical switching based
erties of these schemes are based on proper choice on adiabatic evolution of a single normal mode
of coupling coefficients and propagation coeffi- of a three-waveguide directional coupler. We con-
cients that ensure adiabatic (slow) evolution of a sider a waveguide structure with three waveguides
single normal mode (or eigenmode) of the system. in a linear coupling configuration. The waveguides
are placed close to each other so they are optically
coupled. In our scheme the propagation coeffi-
E-mail address: [email protected]. cients of the waveguides are constant and the
0030-4018/$ - see front matter 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.optcom.2005.07.060
E. Paspalakis / Optics Communications 258 (2006) 30–34 31
coupling coefficients are variable. We also consider We study a waveguide structure with
the case that the two outer waveguides have iden- b1 = b3 = b. Then, if an(z) = bn(z) exp (ibz), with
tical propagation coefficients that could be differ- n = 1, 2, 3, Eqs. (1)–(3) become
ent from the propagation coefficient of the center d
waveguide. In the case that the variable coupling i bðzÞ ¼ MðzÞbðzÞ. ð4Þ
dz
coefficients are designed such that they act in a
counterintuitive order and the evolution of the sys- Here,
2 3
tem is adiabatic, efficient optical switching is 0 k 12 ðzÞ 0
achieved. 6 7
MðzÞ ¼ 4 k 12 ðzÞ Db k 23 ðzÞ 5; ð5Þ
We note that the basic idea of the device studied
in this paper is similar to those of [13,14] where 0 k 23 ðzÞ 0
grating-assisted waveguide directional couplers b(z) = [b1(z), b2(z), b3(z)]T and Db = b2 b. The
were studied. Here, we extend the basic idea of propagation matrix M(z) has a zero eigenvalue
that papers beyond complete light transfer be- with normalized eigenstate
tween two waveguides and present also results 2 3
for controlled optical power division between k 23 ðzÞ
1 6 7
two waveguides, an important process in several jwdark ðzÞi ¼ qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi 4 0 5. ð6Þ
2 2
optoelectronics applications. In addition, we pres- k 12 ðzÞ þ k 23 ðzÞ k 12 ðzÞ
ent results for complete light return to the initially
excited waveguide. This can be also written as
For the theoretical analysis of the system we use
jwdark ðzÞi ¼ cos½HðzÞj1i sin½HðzÞj3i; ð7Þ
coupled mode theory which has been applied with
a lot of success in the description of weakly cou- where tan[H(z)] = k12(z)/k23(z), and j1æ = (1, 0, 0)T,
pled three-waveguide directional couplers with j2æ = (0, 1, 0)T, j3æ = (0, 0, 1)T. This eigenstate is
constant [9–11] and variable [7,8,12] coupling coef- called a dark state of the system. Such states exist
ficients. We are interested in the behaviour of the in laser-driven multi-level systems as well and have
system under continuous wave excitation. We de- led to several interesting effects [15].
note with 1,3 the two outer waveguides and 2 the In all the cases, we study waveguide 1 is initially
center waveguide. As it is usual in the linear cou- excited. If the two variable coupling coefficients,
pling configuration the two outer waveguides are k12(z) and k23(z), are applied in a counterintuitive
not coupled to each other. sequence, such that the coupling coefficient k23(z)
In the slowly varying envelope approximation precedes the coupling coefficient k12(z), then at short
the spatial evolution of the amplitudes of the opti- distances k12(z) k23(z) so that cos[H(z)] 1 and
cal fields, an(z), with n = 1, 2, 3, is described by the the system is then in state jwdarkæ j1æ. If the
following set of coupled differential equations: evolution of the system is adiabatic, so that the
change of the variable coupling coefficients is slow,
da1
i ¼ b1 a1 ðzÞ þ k 12 ðzÞa2 ðzÞ; ð1Þ the system will remain at all distances in the dark
dz
state. Then, several switching cases can be achieved
da2
i ¼ b2 a2 ðzÞ þ k 21 ðzÞa1 ðzÞ þ k 23 ðzÞa3 ðzÞ; ð2Þ by proper design of the coupling coefficients.
dz If k23(z) is switched off prior to k12(z), then at
da3
i ¼ b3 a3 ðzÞ þ k 32 ðzÞa2 ðzÞ. ð3Þ long distances k23(z) k12(z) so that sin[H(z)] 1
dz and jwdarkæ j3æ. So, with the above procedure
Here, bn with n = 1,2,3, is the constant propaga- complete light transfer from waveguide 1 to wave-
tion coefficient of the nth waveguide. Also, knm(z), guide 3, i.e. creation of a cross state, is achieved.
with n, m = 1, 2, 3 is the variable coupling coeffi- We note that during the light transfer from wave-
cient between the waveguides n and m. Without guides 1 to 3, waveguide 2 is never been excited. In
the loss of generality we take the coupling coeffi- addition, if the coupling coefficients are applied
cients to be real and positive, so knm(z) = kmn(z). initially in a counterintuitive sequence and are
32 E. Paspalakis / Optics Communications 258 (2006) 30–34
switched off simultaneously, then a coherent super- Here, k1 and k2 are the maximum values of the
position of states j1æ and j3æ can be created. So, coupling coefficients, z1 and z2 are the central dis-
power division is realized in waveguides 1 and 3. tances of the coupling coefficients and f1 and f2 are
Finally, if k12(z) is switched off prior to k23(z) com- the widths of the coupling coefficients k12(z) and
plete return of light to waveguide 1, i.e. creation of k23(z), respectively.
a bar state, occurs. We next illustrate a case of power division in
An example of light transfer with Gaussian cou- Fig. 2. The coupling coefficients are taken as
pling coefficients is shown in Fig. 1. The results of 2 2
Fig. 1(b) are obtained by solving numerically Eq. k 12 ðzÞ ¼ k sin h eðzz1 Þ =f ; ð10Þ
h 2 2 2 2
i
(4). The coupling coefficients used in this case have k 23 ðzÞ ¼ k eðzz2 Þ =f þ cos h eðzz1 Þ =f ð11Þ
the form
2
=f21
and the evolution of light power in each wave-
k 12 ðzÞ ¼ k 1 eðzz1 Þ ; ð8Þ guide, obtained once again by solving numerically
2
=f22
k 23 ðzÞ ¼ k 2 eðzz2 Þ . ð9Þ Eq. (4), is displayed in Fig. 2(b) for h = p/4. In this
case, the light is divided equally in the two outer
waveguides. Finally results of complete light re-
turn to the initially excited waveguide is shown
a 1
in Fig. 3. We have chosen the coupling coefficients
0.8
Coupling Coefficients
0.6 a
0.4 1
Coupling Coefficients
0.8
0.2
0.6
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 0.4
Normalized Distance (kz)
0.2
b 1
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
0.8
Normalized Power
0.4
0.8
Normalized Power
0.2
0.6
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 0.4
0.2
Acknowledgement
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Normalized Distance (kz) This work has been supported by the Greek-
Hungarian bilateral research program ÔNonlinear
Fig. 3. This is the same as in Fig. 1 with parameters Db = 0, and quantum optics in photonic band gap materi-
z1 = z2 = 30/k, f1 = 6/k and f2 = 12/k.
als: phenomena and methodsÕ.
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