Abstract

In recent years attention has been drawn to light propagation trough periodic structures as photonic crystals or microcavites. The distribution of the electromagnetic fields within these structures and their particular dispersive properties lead to light localization and phase-matching mechanisms, that could enhance the nonlinear light and matter interaction. In a cascaded configuration, the quadratic nonlinear interaction can be used to induce a change in the effective index of refraction of a NL material [1]. When this change is induced within a microcavity filled with a nonlinear material, the intrinsically fast quadratic nonlinear interaction leads to large changes in reflection and transmission of the fundamental wave [2]. Recently, we have experimentally measured a -10% nonlinear change in the transmission of a weak fundamental beam, incident onto a microcavity filled with a thin KTP crystal. However, to induce a similar or larger change in the more interesting reflection geometry one must increase the nonlinear interaction length.

© 2001 EPS