Bloch wave propagation in two-dimensional photonic crystals: influence of the polarization

Transverse Magnetic (TM) and Transverse Electric (TE) optical Bloch waves are the generic solutions of Maxwell’s equations in two-dimensional photonic crystals (2D-PhCs). We present an intuitive description of these waves based on their Fourier decomposition into series of electromagnetic waves. The properties of these electromagnetic waves as well as their contribution to the global energy and group velocity of the global Bloch wave are discussed for each polarization. This description provides a simple and intuitive method to understand dispersion and group velocity effects in 2D-PhCs.