Computational modelling of photonic crystals

Abstract

Photonic crystals (PC) are a novel class of complex materials which have properties that make them the optical analogues of semiconductors. Accordingly, PCs will likely be key building blocks for future micro-optical and communication technology, specifically because of their ability to tailor the propagation of light on the scale of optical wavelengths with minimal diffraction losses. This paper, which describes the computational modelling of PC based devices being undertaken within the ARC Centre for Ultrahigh-bandwidth Devices and Optical Systems (CUDOS), commences with an outline of multipole and Bloch mode theory, outlines the implementation of the computational algorithms using MPI and Open MP on parallel computer systems, and presents briefly the results of the modelling of some PC based devices.