Gain Properties of the Single Cell of a One-Dimensional Photonic Crystal with PT Symmetry

Abstract

In this paper, an analysis of gain properties of a single primitive cell of a one-dimensional photonic crystal with parity–time symmetry is demonstrated for the first time. The proposed simple model makes it possible to study the transmission and amplification properties of the investigated cell made of a wide range of optical materials, taking into account the refractive index of the surrounding medium. This analysis is carried out with the use of a transfer matrix method. The obtained characteristics allow indicating the optimal size of the studied structure providing wave amplification, i.e., a transmittance greater than unity. In this case, the increase in the wave intensity in the gain layer exceeds its decrease in the loss layer. This effect is illustrated with the distributions of the electromagnetic field of waves propagating inside the cell.