The concept of a miniature all-optical space switch based on the photonic hook effect

Abstract

We propose and discuss main properties of a new concept of an all-optical dielectric two-channel wavelength-selective switch based on the photonic hook effect. A prototype of such a de-vice based on dielectric microstructures with broken symmetry of both geometric shape and optical properties without the use of micromechanical devices or nonlinear materials is considered. Due to the unique property of the photonic hook to change its curvature depending on the wavelength of illuminating light, this switch is a promising candidate for the implementation of optical switching in modern optoelectronics and miniature devices "on a chip". Based on numerical FDTD simulations, it is shown that the optical isolation of switched channels for a switch with linear dimensions of about (6 * "lambda")3 based on a Janus particle can reach about 18-20 dB in the wavelength range of 1.5 – 1.9 microns.