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Effect of Surface Modes on Photon Propagation through Dielectric Bandgaps
Published
Author(s)
Natalia Malkova, Sergey V. Polyakov, Alan L. Migdall, Garnett W. Bryant
Abstract
We investigate the Hartman saturation effect of photons traveling through barriers created by bandgaps of multilayer stacks. In particular, we investigate theoretically the recently observed jumps in photon transversal times due to adding a single layer. Using a comprehensive coupled mode analysis and rigorous transfer matrix approach, we show that the experimentally observed effect is caused by surface modes. We investigate the origin of the surface modes, study their properties, and identify them as Tamm-like states.
Malkova, N.
, Polyakov, S.
, Migdall, A.
and Bryant, G.
(2009),
Effect of Surface Modes on Photon Propagation through Dielectric Bandgaps, Physical Review B, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=902593
(Accessed October 8, 2025)