An active tunable Fano switch in a plasma-filled superlattice array

Abstract

We propose a Fano switch arising from the superlattice array of a plasma-filled quartz tube, which can be tuned and reconfigured by the plasma density in the tube. The generation of the switch depends on a Fano band that is induced by the interference between the Mie resonance in an isolated cylinder and Bragg scattering in a periodic array. The underlying dispersion characteristics reveal that a localized tunable flat band corresponding to the Mie resonance plays an important role in the appearance of the Fano resonance. This active tunable switch can be potentially applied to microwave communications as a single-pole multi-throw switch and to monitor environmental variables that impact the plasma density.