Model system for a one-dimensional magnetic photonic crystal.

We fabricate and characterize one-dimensional magnetic (rather than dielectric) photonic crystals for the first time. Our model system is a one-dimensional periodic lattice of gold-wire pairs. Each pair can be viewed as a magnetic coil with two slits and represents a "magnetic atom." Strong coupling between the resulting magnetic-dipole resonance and the Bragg resonance is accomplished by an adjacent dielectric slab waveguide, giving rise to an avoided crossing at near-infrared wavelengths. Our experimental findings are in excellent agreement with theory.