Reverse Energy Flows in Two-Dimensional Photonic Crystals and Analogies with Vortex Formation and Analogous Flows in Hydrodynamics
Abstract
This paper examines the connection between photonic band-gap formation in two types of two-dimensional photonic crystals and the emergence of reverse electromagnetic energy flows generated by linearly polarized plane waves incident on a photonic-crystal slab. We show that these reverse energy flows, observed in both transmitted and reflected fields, originate from vortex structures in the Poynting vector. The resulting energy-flow patterns exhibit striking analogies to vortex formation in fluid motion past obstacles. The geometry and dynamics of the Poynting-vector vortices determine whether the incident electromagnetic energy is impeded, leading to the formation of photonic band gaps, or instead guided through the structure, enabling transmission.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2601.21704,
title = {Reverse Energy Flows in Two-Dimensional Photonic Crystals and Analogies with Vortex Formation and Analogous Flows in Hydrodynamics},
author = {Andrey Pryamikov},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2601.21704},
year = {2026}
}