Analog Simulation of Integrated Optical Circuits (NOT PUBLISHED)

Analog simulation of physical systems governed by partial differential equations is a well known technique in many disciplines, notably fluid mechanics and aerodynamics where wind tunnel testing is still widely used. Application of this technique to the design of integrated optical structures is not widely practiced however, perhaps due to the extreme aspect ratios of most integrated optical structures. At conventional lightwave wavelengths, the index step used for guiding is typically very small compared with unity and structures such as bends or branches are often thousands of wavelengths in extent.