Strong angular dependence of resonant states in 2D photonic molecules

TL;DR

This study investigates the angular dependence of resonant states in 2D photonic molecules made of dielectric cylinders, revealing a highly sensitive resonance useful for angle sensing applications.

Contribution

It demonstrates the strong angular sensitivity of specific resonant states in 2D photonic molecules and validates this behavior through experiments and simulations.

Findings

One resonance exhibits high sensitivity to incident angle.

Experimental results agree well with simulations.

Potential application as angle sensors.

Abstract

Photonic Molecules made of dielectric cylinders assembled as two-dimensional octagons and decagons have been studied. These structures exhibit resonance states that change their intensity depending on the incident radiation angle. While most part of spectra present small or even null variation, one of the resonances in both structures presents a high-sensibility to the incidence angle. This strong variation is well described in terms of the electric field intensity distribution of this resonant state, which is composed of maxima with alternate polarities inside each cylinder. Experimental measurements in the microwave range were taken from photonic molecules prototypes made of centimeter-scale glass cylinders ({\epsilon}=4.5). The excellent agreement between measurements and simulations as the incidence angle varies makes this system ideal to develop angle sensors.