Photonic Crystals - - - Recent Progress - - - Susumu

This presentation introduces a unique world of photonic crystals. They are artificial multidimensional periodic structures with a period of the order of optical wavelength. They have many analogies to solid state crystals. The most important one is the band of photons, which is a powerful theory for the understanding of light behavior in a complex photonic crystal structure. It enables us to create the photonic bandgap and the localization of light. They have great potentials for novel applications in optics, optoelectronics, μ-wave technologies, quantum engineering, bio-photonics, acoustics, and so on. Here, I will outline these fundamental features of photonic crystals with their progress of research.