Rotational symmetry of photonic bound states in the continuum.

The bound states in the continuum (BICs) have been investigated by simulating the optical reflectivity of a tri-layer photonic crystal slab. We found that optical BICs can occur in a class of photonic crystal systems with [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text] rotational symmetries, which are constructed by three identical photonic crystal slabs. By applying the two mode coupled model, we obtain the reflectivity formula to fit the numerical data and evaluate the lifetime of radiation decay. In vicinity of BIC, the lifetime diverges as a power law form, when approaching the BIC point. The infinity life time of [Formula: see text] in the tri-layer structure indicate that it is a true BIC. The [Formula: see text] occurs robustly in tri-layer structures, but the resonance frequency of the BICs is dependent on the permittivity of slab, air-hole size and hole shape.