A simple model system to study coupled photonic crystal microcavities

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that standard coaxial cables can serve as an accessible, low-cost analog for complex photonic crystal microcavities, enabling educational exploration of coupled resonant phenomena at microwave frequencies.

Contribution

The paper introduces a simple, experimental model system using coaxial cables to mimic coupled photonic crystal microcavities for educational purposes.

Findings

Resonance frequencies around 100MHz were achieved.

Mode splitting observed in double and triple coupled cavities.

Experimental results agree well with transfer matrix model.

Abstract

In this paper, we designed and experimentally studied several systems of standard coaxial cables with different impedances which mimic the operation of so called photonic structures like coupled photonic crystal microcavities. Using elementary cells of half-meter long coaxial cables we got resonances around 100MHz, a range of frequencies that can be easily studied with a standard teaching laboratory apparatus. Resonant mode frequency splitting has been obtained in the case of double and triple coupled cavities. A good agreement between experimental results and transfer matrix model has been observed. The aim here is to demonstrate that standard coaxial cable system is a very cheap way and an easy to implement structure to explain to undergraduate students complex phenomena that usually occur in the optical domain.