One-way total reflection with one-dimensional magneto-optical photonic crystals

The authors show that one-dimensional magneto-optical photonic crystals can achieve one-way total reflection. The unit cell of the crystal, which consists of two bismuth iron garnet layers with opposite magnetization and one SiO2 layer, is designed to simultaneously break time-reversal, spatial inversion, and mirror symmetries. Such crystals are important for creating compact broadband optical isolators. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.