Abstract

We have used phase-sensitive ultrashort-pulse interferometry to study the modification of optical pulse propagation near the photonic band edges in colloidal crystals consisting of polystyrene spheres in water. A strong suppression of the group velocity is found at frequencies near the L gap of the fcc lattice. The group velocity dispersion diverges at the band edges and shows branches of both normal dispersion and anomalous dispersion, which can be interpreted as large changes in the effective mass, both positive and negative. We obtain excellent agreement with the dynamical diffraction theory.

URL

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.83.2942

Authors

A. Imhof, W.L. Vos, R. Sprik, and A. Lagendijk

Year of publication

1999

Date published

01/1999

Journal

Phys. Rev. Lett.

Volume

83

Pages

2942-2945

DOI number

10.1103/PhysRevLett.83.2942

Keywords

3D photonic crystals, anomalous dispersion, band edge, effective mass, Fourier transform spectrometer, group velocity, group velocity dispersion, phase-sensitive, ultrashort-pulse interferometry