Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Full-tensor anisotropy transforms rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) into a large, fully coupled non-Hermitian eigenproblem, making eigendecomposition expensive and difficult to differentiate. We introduce a differentiable, eigendecomposition-free RCWA framework for spatially patterned media with fully coupled permittivity tensors, using boundary fields rather than internal eigenmodes as the layer representation. A boundary-value cascade constructs scattering operators directly from these fields, enabling automatic differentiation and efficient GPU execution. Benchmarks against finite-element and transfer-matrix solutions show close agreement in scattering responses, while automatic-differentiation gradients agree with finite differences and enable topology optimization. At 529 Fourier harmonics, layer construction is 22.8 times faster than conventional eigendecomposition on the same GPU. Our framework offers a general computational route toward scalable forward modeling and inverse design in anisotropic photonic systems.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: Yang, Enbo, Song, Qiang, Cai, Weiwei
Institutions: Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Hunan University
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7201833738
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