Switchable tunneling mode for cylindrical photonic quantum well consisting of photonic crystals containing liquid crystal

We propose a cylindrical photonic quantum well made of photonic crystals containing liquid crystals, the properties of which are theoretically calculated and investigated by the transfer matrix method in the cylindrical symmetry system. Liquid crystals are introduced into the photonic quantum well structure as tunable defect layers. When the liquid crystals are pseudo–isotropic state and the azimuthal mode order of incident waves are m=0, there were two pass-bands around certain wavelength. When the liquid crystals are homeotropic state, the reflectance of pass-band at shorter wavelength decreases from 0.75 to 0.05 in the TM mode, but the reflectance does not change in the TE mode. When mode order m=1 and the liquid crystals are pseudo-isotropic state, the reflectance of defect mode stayed the same as m=0. However, the result is reversed while the phase of liquid crystals change from pseudo-isotropic to homeotropic state. The reflectance is the same as in the TM mode, but that in the TE mode decreases substantially from 0.75 to 0.05. The application of our structure to switching device is highly potential.