Photonic diode
View Patent ↗An element for interacting with electromagnetic radiation is disclosed, including a first self-resonant body, a second self-resonant body, and a directional device interposed between the first self-resonant body and the second self-resonant body. The directional device is adapted to inhibit propagation of electromagnetic radiation from the second self-resonant body to the first self-resonant body.
1. An apparatus for interacting with electromagnetic radiation, the apparatus comprising:
a first self-resonant body;
a second self-resonant body; and
a directional device between the first self-resonant body and the second self-resonant body, wherein the directional device is adapted to inhibit propagation of a first electromagnetic radiation signal from the second self-resonant body to the first self-resonant body.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the directional device is adapted to permit propagation of a second electromagnetic radiation signal received from the first self-resonant body to the second self-resonant body.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the directional device comprises:
a first polarizer, wherein the first polarizer has a first axis of polarization;
a rotator adjacent to the first polarizer, wherein the rotator is adapted to rotate a polarization axis of an incident electromagnetic radiation signal by a first angle; and
a second polarizer adjacent to the rotator, wherein the second polarizer has a second axis of polarization, and wherein the first axis of polarization and the second axis of polarization are different.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the rotator includes a Faraday rotator.
5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the second axis of polarization is oriented at approximately 45° with respect to the first axis of polarization, and wherein the first angle is approximately 45°.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the directional device includes a photonic crystal.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the photonic crystal includes a portion having non-reciprocal properties.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the photonic crystal is adapted to inhibit electromagnetic radiation from propagating along a first direction, the first direction being a direction of propagation of electromagnetic radiation from the second self-resonant body to the first self-resonant body.
9. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the first self-resonant body and the second self-resonant body are embedded into the photonic crystal.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first self-resonant body and the second self-resonant body are selected from the group consisting of: nanorods, antennas, atoms, and quantum dots.
11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
a first array of self-resonant bodies, wherein the first array of self-resonant bodies includes the first self-resonant body; and
a second array of self-resonant bodies, wherein the second array of self-resonant bodies includes the second self-resonant body.
12. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
a third self-resonant body spatially separate from the first and second resonant bodies; and
a second directional device interposed functionally between the second and third self-resonant bodies.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the second directional device is operative to inhibit propagation of electromagnetic radiation from the third resonant body to the second resonant body.
14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the first, second and third self-resonant bodies define a substantially sequential propagation path.
15. An electromagnetic radiation element comprising:
a first set of one or more resonators, wherein the first set of resonators is adapted to facilitate the propagation of electromagnetic radiation signals;
a second set of one or more resonators, wherein the second set of resonators is adapted to facilitate the propagation of electromagnetic radiation; and
a directional device functionally between all or a portion of the first set of resonators and all or a portion of the second set of resonators, wherein the directional device is adapted to inhibit a first electromagnetic signal received from the second set of resonators to propagate to the first set of resonators, and wherein the directional device is adapted to permit a second electromagnetic signal received from the first set of resonators to propagate to the second set of resonators.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the directional device comprises:
a first polarizer, wherein the first polarizer has a first axis of polarization;
a rotator functionally adjacent to the first polarizer, wherein the rotator is adapted to rotate a polarization axis of an incident electromagnetic radiation signal by a first angle; and
a second polarizer functionally adjacent to the rotator, wherein the second polarizer has a second axis of polarization, and wherein the first axis of polarization and the second axis of polarization are different.
17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the rotator includes a Faraday rotator.
18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the second axis of polarization is oriented at approximately 45° with respect to the first axis of polarization, and wherein the first angle is approximately 45°.
19. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein one or more resonators in the first set of resonators and one or more of the resonators in the second set of resonators are selected from the group consisting of: nanorods, antennas, atoms, and quantum dots.
20. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising one or more additional directional devices wherein the additional directional devices are interposed functionally between selected resonators from the first set of resonators and the second set of resonators.
21. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the directional device includes a non-reciprocal photonic crystal, wherein the non-reciprocal photonic crystal is adapted to inhibit electromagnetic radiation signals from propagating along a first direction, the first direction being a direction from the second set of resonators to the first set of resonators.
22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the first set of resonators and the second set of resonators are embedded into the non-reciprocal photonic crystal.
23. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the first set of resonators includes a first array of one or more resonators and wherein the second set of resonators includes a second array of one or more resonators.
24. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising:
a third set of one or more resonators spatially separate from the first and second sets of resonators; and
a second directional device interposed functionally between the second set of resonators and third set of resonators.
25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the second directional device is operative to inhibit propagation of electromagnetic radiation from the third set of resonators to the second set of resonators.
26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the first, second and third sets of resonators define a substantially sequential propagation path.
27. A method of directing electromagnetic energy, comprising:
resonantly interacting with a portion of the electromagnetic energy at a first location;
selectively permitting propagation of at least one portion of the electromagnetic energy from the first location to a second location;
resonantly interacting with the propagated at least one portion of the electromagnetic energy at the second location; and
selectively inhibiting propagation of at least a portion of the electromagnetic energy from the second location to the first location.
28. The method of claim 27 wherein the selectively inhibiting propagation of electromagnetic energy comprises:
polarizing the electromagnetic energy from the second location along a first axis of polarization;
rotating an axis of polarization of the electromagnetic energy by a first angle; and
polarizing the electromagnetic energy along a second axis of polarization, thereby inhibiting propagation of the electromagnetic energy from the second location to the first location.
29. The method of claim 28 wherein the second axis of polarization is oriented at approximately 45° with respect to the first axis of polarization, and wherein the first angle is approximately 45°.
30. The method of claim 27 wherein the selectively inhibiting propagation of the electromagnetic energy comprises directing the electromagnetic energy to a photonic crystal having non-reciprocal properties.
31. The method of claim 27 wherein the resonantly intercepting comprises directing the electromagnetic energy to one or more resonators selected from the group consisting of: nanorods, antennas, atoms, and quantum dots.
32. The method of claim 27 further comprising selectively permitting propagation of at least a portion of the electromagnetic energy from the second location to a third location.
33. The method of claim 32 further comprising resonantly interacting with the propagated as least one portion of the electromagnetic energy at the third location.
34. The method of claim 33 further comprising selectively inhibiting propagation of the electromagnetic energy from the third location to the second location.
35. A method for producing an element for interacting with electromagnetic radiation signals, the method comprising:
identifying a first resonator adapted to resonate at a first frequency;
identifying a second resonator adapted to resonate at the first frequency;
identifying a directional device; and
interposing the directional device functionally between the first resonator and the second resonator, wherein the directional device is adapted to inhibit a first electromagnetic signal at the first frequency from propagating from the second resonator to the first resonator, and wherein the directional device is adapted to substantially permit a second electromagnetic signal at the first frequency from propagating from the first resonator to the second resonator.
36. The method of claim 35 wherein the identifying the directional device comprises:
identifying a first polarizer and a second polarizer adapted to polarize incident electromagnetic radiation at the first frequency respectively along a first axis and a second axis;
orienting the first polarizer and the second polarizer functionally adjacent from each other such that the second axis and the first axis are at a first angle to each other;
identifying a rotator adapted to rotate a polarization axis of the incident electromagnetic radiation by a first angle; and
interposing the rotator functionally between the first and the second polarizer, thereby inhibiting the electromagnetic radiation from propagating from the second polarizer to the first polarizer.
37. The method of claim 36 wherein the rotator includes a Faraday rotator.
38. The method of claim 36 wherein the second axis is oriented at approximately 45° with respect to the first axis, and wherein the first angle is approximately 45°.
39. The method of claim 35 wherein the identifying the directional device comprises identifying a non-reciprocal photonic crystal that is adapted to inhibit electromagnetic radiation at the first frequency from propagating from the second resonator to the first resonator.
40. The method of claim 35 wherein the first resonator and the second resonator are selected from the group consisting of: nanorods, antennas, atoms, and quantum dots.
41. The method of claim 35 further comprising:
identifying a first array of one or more resonators adapted to resonate at the first frequency, wherein the first array of resonators includes the first resonator; and
identifying a second array of one or more resonators adapted to resonate at the first frequency, wherein the first array of resonators includes the second resonator.
42. The method of claim 35 , further comprising:
identifying a third resonator adapted to resonate at the first frequency;
identifying a second directional device; and
interposing the second directional device functionally between the second resonator and the third resonator, wherein the second directional device is adapted to inhibit a third electromagnetic signal at the first frequency from propagating from the third resonator to the second resonator, and wherein the second directional device is adapted to substantially permit a fourth electromagnetic signal at the first frequency from propagating from the second resonator to the third resonator.
43. A method for producing an apparatus for interacting with electromagnetic radiation, the method comprising interposing a directional device functionally between a first self-resonant body and a second self-resonant body, wherein the directional device is adapted to inhibit a first electromagnetic radiation signal received from the second self-resonant body to propagate to the first self-resonant body.
44. The method of claim 43 wherein the directional device is adapted to permit a second electromagnetic radiation signal received from the first self-resonant body to propagate to the second self-resonant body.
45. The method of claim 43 wherein interposing the directional device comprises:
interposing a first polarizer, wherein the first polarizer has a first axis of polarization;
interposing a rotator functionally adjacent to the first polarizer, wherein the rotator is adapted to rotate a polarization axis of an incident electromagnetic radiation signal by a first angle; and
interposing a second polarizer functionally adjacent to the rotator, wherein the second polarizer has a second axis of polarization, and wherein the first axis of polarization and the second axis of polarization are different.
46. The method of claim 45 wherein the rotator includes a Faraday rotator.
47. The method of claim 45 wherein the second axis of polarization is oriented at approximately 45° with respect to the first axis of polarization, and wherein the first angle is approximately 45°.
48. The method of claim 43 wherein the interposing the directional device includes interposing a non-reciprocal photonic crystal adapted to inhibit the first electromagnetic radiation signal from propagating.
49. The method of claim 48 further comprising embedding the first self-resonant body and the second self-resonant body into the non-reciprocal photonic crystal.
50. The method of claim 43 wherein the first self-resonant body and the second self-resonant body are selected from the group consisting of: nanorods, antennas, atoms, and quantum dots.
51. The method of claim 43 further comprising interposing the directional device functionally between a first array of self-resonant bodies and a second array of self-resonant bodies, wherein the first array includes the first self-resonant body and wherein the second array includes the second self-resonant body.
52. The method of claim 43 further comprising interposing a second directional device functionally between the second self-resonant body and a third self-resonant body, wherein the second directional device is adapted to inhibit a second electromagnetic radiation signal received from the third self-resonant body to propagate to the second self-resonant body.