Authors
Gui-Geng Liu, Peiheng Zhou, Yihao Yang, Haoran Xue, Xin Ren, Xiao Lin, Hong-xiang Sun, Lei Bi, Yidong Chong, Baile Zhang
Publication date
2020/4/20
Journal
Nature communications
Volume
11
Issue
1
Pages
1873
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group UK
Description
At photonic Dirac points, electromagnetic waves are governed by the same equations as two-component massless relativistic fermions. However, photonic Dirac points are known to occur in pairs in “photonic graphene” and other similar photonic crystals, which necessitates special precautions to excite only one valley state. Systems hosting unpaired photonic Dirac points are significantly harder to realize, as they require broken time-reversal symmetry. Here, we report on the observation of an unpaired Dirac point in a planar two-dimensional photonic crystal. The structure incorporates gyromagnetic materials, which break time-reversal symmetry; the unpaired Dirac point occurs when a parity-breaking parameter is fine-tuned to a topological transition between a photonic Chern insulator and a conventional photonic insulator phase. Evidence for the unpaired Dirac point is provided by transmission and field-mapping …
Total citations
20202021202220232024610182017
Scholar articles
GG Liu, P Zhou, Y Yang, H Xue, X Ren, X Lin, H Sun… - Nature communications, 2020