École Nationale Supérieure de
Techniques Avancées

Abstract

This report aims to investigate the impact of two main parameters, the quality factor and the Kerr mode volume, on the efficiency of the optical switch-on operation and to understand how the variations of such parameters alter the output signal. In a first part, optical systems enabling the control of the flow of light in photonic crystals, as well as the mathematical background of Coupled Mode Theory are introduced. Numerical experiments via MATLAB are carried out in the case of a single linear cavity to understand the evolution of a Gaussian pulse in such systems. Specifically, the focus is on the variations of the output pulse delay and its width when either the input pulse width or the detuning between the resonance frequency and the signal frequency is modified. Finally, the nonlinear dynamics are taken into account and the switch-on operation is investigated by conducting changing numerically the quality factor of the system and later the Kerr mode volume. It is shown that, for a given set of parameter, an optimal value of the Q-factor exists, leading to a faster energy-efficient switch. Furthermore, a compromise has to be made between the consumption of energy and the speed of the operation when selecting the Kerr mode volume.