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Abstract

We develop a general theory for twisted bilayer photonic crystals that takes into account both far-field response and near-field coupling. The theory is based on the framework of a generalized Rayleigh-Schr\"odinger perturbation theory for non-Hermitian Hamiltonians. A universal form for interlayer coupling is derived, which relates the hopping strength to the Fourier transforms of the Wannier functions in the single layer photonic crystal. For low energy states at the K point in hexagonal lattices, the interlayer coupling reduces to that in the Bistritzer-MacDonald model for graphene. As an example, we study a twisted bilayer photonic crystal slab with air holes arranged in a honeycomb lattice in each layer. The first order solution of our model predicts a four-fold band splitting in the far-field spectrum compared to the single-layer case, which is confirmed by numerical simulations. Moreover, our theory reveals that for low energy states at K points, scattering towards the {\Gamma} point via the moir\'e potential is suppressed. Based on our theory, we propose a wide-angle, high-Q tunable flat band cavity by combining the bilayer at a large twist angle with a Brillouinzone-folding perturbation within each layer. The cavity behaves like a collection of quasi-bound states in the continuum with a divergent density of states, with potential applications in nonlinear optics, lasing and quantum optics.