Local investigation of photonic crystal devices in space and time

In this paper, the investigation of light propagating inside such a structure is usually limited by both the diffraction limit and the absence of radiating light. We have solved this by investigating a photonic crystal waveguide with a phase-sensitive time-resolved near-field scanning microscope. Photonic crystals are promising structures for controlling light, because the light has to obey Bloch´s theorem. The resulting control over optical dispersion allows time control in integrated optical structures and enhancement of light-matter interactions