Asymmetric Transmission and Isolation in Nonlinear Devices: Why They Are Different

Here, we highlight the fundamental differences between nonlinear two-port devices with strongly asymmetric transmission responses and “isolators.” We use a mushroom structure loaded with nonlinear elements as a guiding example. The mushroom metamaterial can be operated in a regime in which it behaves as a nearly ideal electromagnetic diode, such that the individual excitations of the two ports lead to strongly asymmetric responses. We discuss the limitations of using this type of nonlinear devices as microwave isolators. In particular, we underline the crucial importance of material loss to attain the isolator functionality and that in the lossless regime nonreciprocal devices may be time-reversal invariant.