Self-consistent spectrum of photonic crystals containing non-linear optical materials

In this communication, we extend the theory of photonic crystals to account for the influence of non-linear materials and in particular, for the dependence of the photonic band edges on the intensity level of transiting electromagnetic fields. The non-linear band structure problem is solved as a converging sequence of ordinary, linear, band structure calculations, reminiscent of the self-consistent field approach for electronic crystal band structures in quantum chemistry. These computations suggest that the adaptation of the gap location and width to the occupation of one of the photon modes could be used for light-controlled adjustment of transmission spectra. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.