EQMResearch group
Level 4 · Light in layered structures

Reflectance spectrum R(E)

The fraction of light bounced back, plotted vs photon energy. Dips reveal cavity modes and excitons hiding inside the stack.

Build on:Transfer-matrix method (TMM),Fabry-Pérot microcavity,Exciton

What we actually measure

The reflectance spectrum R(E)is the fraction of light bounced back from the stack as a function of photon energy. It is the simulator's headline output — the curve you see on the right.

What you read off it

  • Cavity dips: sharp valleys where light gets stuck inside the cavity at one of its modes (see Fabry-Pérot).
  • Excitonic features: extra structure where the CrSBr exciton absorbs.
  • Anti-crossing:when a cavity mode and the exciton meet, both dips repel each other instead of crossing — that's the polariton signature.

How it's computed

Behind every value of R there is a TMM call: a per-layer refractive index is built from the spin pattern, the matrices are cascaded, and |r|² is read off. Walk the energy axis and you get the curve.

Spin array0/1 per layerPhase ruleAFM / Mixed / FMε(E) mapLorentz per phaseTMM1D wave solverR(E)your spectrumFrom the spin pattern on the left to the reflectance dip on the rightEditing one spin re-runs every box to its right.
Key takeaways
  • Dip = light got trapped (cavity) or absorbed (exciton).
  • Anti-crossing = both at once → polariton.
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