ORCID Profile
0000-0002-3240-3475
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Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-02-2019
DOI: 10.1038/S41467-019-08397-6
Abstract: Maxwell electromagnetism, describing the wave properties of light, was formulated 150 years ago. More than 60 years ago it was shown that interfaces between optical media (including dielectrics, metals, negative-index materials) can support surface electromagnetic waves, which now play crucial roles in plasmonics, metamaterials, and nano-photonics. Here we show that surface Maxwell waves at interfaces between homogeneous isotropic media described by real permittivities and permeabilities have a topological origin explained by the bulk-boundary correspondence. Importantly, the topological classification is determined by the helicity operator, which is generically non-Hermitian even in lossless optical media. The corresponding topological invariant, which determines the number of surface modes, is a $${\\Bbb Z}_4$$ Z 4 number (or a pair of $${\\Bbb Z}_2$$ Z 2 numbers) describing the winding of the complex helicity spectrum across the interface. Our theory provides a new twist and insights for several areas of wave physics: Maxwell electromagnetism, topological quantum states, non-Hermitian wave physics, and metamaterials.
Location: Germany
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