We show that the photons in laterally confined Bragg mirrors may experience Bloch oscillations similar to those of electrons in semiconductor superlattices subjected to electric fields. An effective electric field is produced in the photonic case by variation of the lateral size of the structure as one moves along the structure axis. The temporal behavior of a short pulse of light oscillating within a miniband of such an optical superlattice made from the porous silicon has been modeled by a proper scattering-state simulation scheme.

• Received 20 September 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.61.4413