Eur. Phys. J. D (2017) 71: 152
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2017-70803-9

Regular Article

Light transmission asymmetry and optical diode^*

¹ Institute for Spectroscopy Russian Academy of Sciences, Phizicheskaya str., 5, Troitsk, 108840 Moscow, Russia
² Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow reg., 141700 Dolgoprudny, Russia

^a e-mail: melentiev@isan.troitsk.ru

Received: 22 December 2016
Received in final form: 6 April 2017
Published online: 13 June 2017

Abstract

We have suggested and realized a giant asymmetry of the transmission of light propagating through a linear nonmagnetic optical system that consists of a nanohole in metal film deposited on the surface of a one-dimensional photonic crystal. The asymmetry of the light transmission is caused by two factors: (i) practical impossibility to reverse the wavefront of light passing through a nanohole whose diameter is much smaller than the wavelength of light; and (ii) increase of photonic crystal transmission at photonic bandgap wavelengths due to strong modification of k-vector of incident light caused by diffraction on a nanohole (optical “clearance” of the photonic crystal). We show that in such optical element it is possible to realize optical diode whose reverse transmission can be suppressed by a factor of more than 30 000.