High-Q surface electromagnetic wave resonance excitation in magneto-photonic crystals for super-sensitive detection of weak light absorption in near-IR

Abstract: Mid-infrared spectrum can be recorded from almost any material making the mid-infrared spectroscopy an extremely important and widely used sample characterization and analytical technique. However, sensitivity photoconductive detectors operate primarily in the near-infrared (NIR) but not in the mid-infrared making the NIR more favorable for accurate spectral analysis. Although absorption cross-section of vibrational modes in near-infrared is orders of magnitude smaller compared to the fundamental vibrations in mid-infrared, different concepts were proposed to increase the detectability of weak molecular transitions overtones. Yet, the contribution of magneto-photonic structures in near-infrared absorption effect has never been explored so far. Here we propose high-Q magneto-photonic structures for a super-sensitive detection of weak absorption resonances in near-infrared. We analyze the contributions of both magnetic and non-magnetic photonic crystal (PC) configurations to the detection of weak molecular transitions overtones. Our results constitute an important step towards development of highly sensitive spectroscopic tools based on high-Q magneto-photonic sensors.