We discuss potential advantages of slow-light waveguides compared to cavity-based structures for enhancing opto-mechanical interactions. Then, we reveal that slow-light enhanced optical forces between side-coupled photonic-crystal nanowire waveguides can be flexibly controlled by introducing a relative longitudinal shift. We predict that close to the photonic band-edge, where the group velocity is reduced, the transverse force can be tuned from repulsive to attractive, and the force is suppressed for a particular shift value. Additionally the shift leads to symmetry breaking that can facilitate longitudinal forces acting on the waveguides, in contrast to unshifted structures where such forces vanish.

Date Published: 8 February 2012
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 8273, Advances in Slow and Fast Light V, 827317 (8 February 2012); doi: 10.1117/12.914744

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8273:
Advances in Slow and Fast Light V
Selim M. Shahriar; Frank A. Narducci, Editor(s)