Topological aspects of photonic time crystals
Year: 2018
Type: article
Abstract: We introduce topological phases in Photonic Time-Crystals. Photonic Time-Crystals are materials in which the refractive index varies periodically and abruptly in time. When the refractive index changes abruptly, the light propagating in the material experiences time-refraction and time-reflection, analogous to refraction and reflection in photonic crystals. Interference between time-refracted and time-reflected waves gives rise to Floquet-Bloch states and dispersion bands, which are gapped in the momentum. We show that photonic time-crystals can be in a topologically non-trivial phase, and calculate the topological invariant associated with the momentum bands of the Photonic Time-Crystal. The topological invariants are related to the phase between the forward and backward-propagating waves of the time-crystal, and to localized edge states in time.
Source: Optica
Authors: Eran Lustig, Yonatan Sharabi, Mordechai Segev
Language: English
Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,208
OpenAlex ID: W2792384077