Comment on "Nonreciprocal light propagation in a silicon photonic circuit"

Journal
Science / AAAS
Volume
335
Issue
6064
Start Page
38
Citation
Science / AAAS 336 (6064): 38 (2012)
Publisher DOI
10.1126/science.1216682
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84855516583
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (Assoc.)
We show that the structure demonstrated by Feng et al. (Reports, 5 August 2011, p. 729) cannot enable optical isolation because it possesses a symmetric scattering matrix. Moreover, one cannot construct an optical isolator by incorporating this structure into any system as long as the system is linear and time-independent and is described by materials with a scalar dielectric function.
DDC Class
530: Physik