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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Enhanced scattering from an almost-periodic optical temporal slab

Stefanos Fr. Koufidis1,*, Theodoros T. Koutserimpas2,†, Francesco Monticone2, and Martin W. McCall1

  • *Contact author: steven.koufidis20@imperial.ac.uk
  • †Contact author: tkoutserimpas@cornell.edu
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Phys. Rev. A 110, L041501 – Published 1 October, 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.110.L041501

Abstract

We showcase the impact of almost-periodicity on the parametric amplification associated with the first-order momentum gap in photonic time-crystals with time-varying permittivity. Utilizing a vectorial coupled-wave theory approach, we rigorously analyze the scattering by a temporal slab of the considered medium. We pinpoint a critical regime wherein flaws in material tuning paradoxically enhance amplification due to the coupling of fewer, broader modes, resulting in a higher and broader pulselike amplification envelope. Additionally, we demonstrate that the intensity reflectances of time-reversed waves corresponding to secondary “Bragg” resonances achieve remarkably high levels of subharmonic parametric amplification, with the epsilon-near-zero regime serving as a preferred candidate for experimental implementation. Our counterintuitive findings highlight the potential of intentionally leveraging modulation desynchronization and impurities in the temporal unit cell of photonic time-crystals to enhance both the level and the bandwidth of amplification.

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Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. A 110, L041501– Published 1 October, 2024
  • Received 13 June 2024
  • Accepted 16 September 2024
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