Dispersion properties of two-dimensional plasma photonic crystals with periodically external magnetic field

Dispersion properties of two types of two-dimensional periodically magnetized plasma array structures with square lattices have been investigated by using plane wave expansion method. It is found that two different regions of flatbands and photonic band gaps occur in the TE polarization due to the external magnetic field. The two types of system can be seen as a kind of unusual plasma photonic crystals. The results show that not only the location of flatbands but also the position and bandwidth of photonic band gaps can be tuned by external magnetic field. The cutoff frequency decreases as external magnetic field increases. The edge of two different of flatbands regions and cutoff frequency shift downward to lower frequencies obviously with increasing plasma collision frequency, while they shift upward to higher frequencies notably with increasing plasma frequency. The filling factor has little effect on the location of flatbands regions. The width of flatbands regions and photonic band gaps are almost unchanged by increasing filling factor, but the number of ominidirectional photonic band gap for type-1 structure plasma photonic crystals can be effectively controlled by adjusting filling factor. It is worth to be noted that the first band gaps above the cutoff frequencies in Г–X and Г–M direction for two types of PPCs can be modulated by the parameters as mentioned above, and the relative bandwidth of band gap in Г–X direction is wider than the one in Г–M direction. The results may provide theoretical instructions to design new tunable photonic crystals devices.

► A new type of 2D plasma photonic crystals consisting of periodically magnetized plasma is proposed.
► The edges of two flatbands regions and PBGs for PPCs can be tuned by ωc, νc, ωp and f, respectively.
► The f can change the number of PBGs for type-1 PPCs but can not control the number of PBGs for type-2 PPCs.
► The relative bandwidth of band gap in Г–X direction is wider than the one in Г–M direction.