We propose a new power-splitting scheme in two-dimensional photonic crystals that can be applicable to photonic integrated circuits. The proposed power-splitting mechanism is analogous to that of conventional three-waveguide directional couplers, utilizing coupling between guided modes supported by line-defect waveguides. Through the analysis of dispersion curve and field patterns of modes, the position in propagation direction, where an input field is split into a two-folded image, is determined by simple mode analysis. Based on the calculated position, a photonic crystal power-splitter is designed and verified by finite-difference timedomain computation.

We have theoretically investigated the transport properties of a ring-shaped array of small tunnel junctions, which is weakly coupled to the drain electrode. We have found that the long range interaction together with the semi-isolation of the array bring about the formation of stable standing configurations of electrons. The stable configurations break up during each transition from odd to even number of trapped electrons, leading to multiple Coulomb blockade gaps in the the $I-V$ characteristics of the system.Comment: 4 Pages (two-columns), 4 Figures, to be published in Physical Review Letter

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A novel high performance optical fiber sensor for simultaneous measurement of relative humidity (RH) and temperature based on our newly designed knob-integrated fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The knob-shaped taper followed by an FBG works as a multifunctional joint that not only excites the cladding modes but also recouples the cladding modes reflected by the FBG back into the leading single mode fiber. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film is plated on the fiber surface by dip-coating technique as a humidity-to-refractive index (RI) transducer, and affects the intensity of reflected cladding modes by way of evanescent fields. By monitoring the intensity and wavelength of the reflected cladding modes, the RH and temperature variance can be determined simultaneously. Experimental results show an RH sensitivity of up to 1.2 dB/%RH within an RH range of 30-95%, which is significantly better than previously reported values. And the temperature sensitivity of 8.2 pm/°Ccould be achieved in the temperature range of 25-60°C. A fast and reversible time response has also been demonstrated, enabling to pick up a humidity change as fast as 630 ms. The capability of simultaneous measurement of RH and temperature, the fast response, the reusability and the simple fabrication process make this structure a highly promising sensor for real-time practical RH monitoring applications.