Axion topology in photonic crystal domain walls

Autor: Chiara Devescovi, Antonio Morales-Pérez, Yoonseok Hwang, Mikel García-Díez, Iñigo Robredo, Juan Luis Mañes, Barry Bradlyn, Aitzol García-Etxarri, Maia G. Vergniory
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Nature Communications, Vol 15, Iss 1, Pp 1-12 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2041-1723
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50766-3
Popis: Abstract Axion insulators are 3D magnetic topological insulators supporting hinge states and quantized magnetoelectric effects, recently proposed for detecting dark-matter axionic particles via their axionic excitations. Beyond theoretical interest, obtaining a photonic counterpart of axion insulators offers potential for advancing magnetically-tunable photonic devices and axion haloscopes based on axion-photon conversion. This work proposes an axionic 3D phase within a photonic setup. By building inversion-symmetric domain-walls in gyrotropic photonic crystals, we bind chiral modes on inversion-related hinges, ultimately leading to the realization of an axionic channel of light. These states propagate embedded in a 3D structure, thus protected from radiation in the continuum. Employing a small external gyromagnetic bias, we transition across different axionic mode configurations, enabling effective topological switching of chiral photonic fibers. While demonstrating the possibility of realizing axion photonic crystals within state-of-the-art gyrotropic setups, we propose a general scheme for rendering axion topology at domain walls of Weyl semimetals.
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