Polarization anisotropy of optical transmission in opals and Langmuir–Blodgett crystals

The transmission spectra of thin-film colloidal photonic crystals with three-dimensional and one-dimensional-two-dimensional photonic energy band structures, i.e., opals and Langmuir–Blodgett crystals with a refractive index contrast of $\sim$1.5: 1.0, have been measured in linearly polarized light. It has been demonstrated that the polarization anisotropy in the light transmitted through the crystal is uniquely related to the diffraction resonance and that the degree of polarization can exceed 90%. A higher degree of polarization is provided by lattices that are characterized by a smaller attenuation of light polarized in the plane of incidence. It has been revealed that the diffraction resonances from the crystal planes for which the dispersions are in anticrossing with the dispersion of the growth planes acquire the same anisotropy. The general character of the results obtained has been confirmed by the fact that the polarization anisotropy identically manifests itself in colloidal crystals that have different symmetries and lattice orderings.