title: Nonreciprocal switching thresholds in coupled nonlinear microcavities.
abstract: A concept for the design of nonlinear optical diodes is proposed that uses the multistability of coupled nonlinear microcavities and the dependence of switching thresholds on the direction of incidence. A typical example of such a diode can be created by combining two mirror-symmetric microcavities where modes of the opposite parity dominate. It is shown that a strong nonreciprocal behavior can be achieved together with a negligible insertion loss. To describe the dynamical properties of such systems, a model based on the coupled-mode theory is developed, and a possible implementation in the form of multilayered structures is considered.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Günther-Scharowsky-Strasse 1, Bau 26, Erlangen 91058, Germany. victor.grigoriev@mpl.mpg.de
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Grigoriev
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Biancalana