Magnetic imaging in photonic crystal microcavities

Phys Rev Lett. 2010 Sep 17;105(12):123902. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.123902. Epub 2010 Sep 17.

Abstract

We demonstrate the nonresonant magnetic interaction at optical frequencies between a photonic crystal microcavity and a metallized near-field microscopy probe. This interaction can be used to map and control the magnetic component of the microcavity modes. The metal coated tip acts as a microscopic conductive ring, which induces a magnetic response opposite to the inducing magnetic field. The resulting shift in resonance frequency can be used to measure the distribution of the magnetic field intensity of the photonic structure and fine-tune its optical response via the magnetic field components.