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Topologically protected Dirac plasmons in a graphene superlattice.

Authors :
Deng Pan
Rui Yu
Hongxing Xu
García de Abajo, F. Javier
Source :
Nature Communications; Nov2017, Vol. 8 Issue 11, p1-7, 7p, 4 Diagrams, 2 Graphs
Publication Year :
2017

Abstract

Topological optical states exhibit unique immunity to defects, rendering them ideal for photonic applications. A powerful class of such states is based on time-reversal symmetry breaking of the optical response. However, existing proposals either involve sophisticated and bulky structural designs or can only operate in the microwave regime. Here we show a theoretical demonstration for highly confined topologically protected optical states to be realized at infrared frequencies in a simple two-dimensional (2D) material structure—a periodically patterned graphene monolayer—subject to a magnetic field of only 2 tesla. In our graphene honeycomb superlattice structures, plasmons exhibit substantial nonreciprocal behavior at the superlattice junctions under moderate static magnetic fields, leading to the emergence of topologically protected edge states and localized bulk modes. This approach is simple and robust for realizing topologically nontrivial optical states in 2D atomic layers, and could pave the way for building fast, nanoscale, defect-immune photonic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20411723
Volume :
8
Issue :
11
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
Nature Communications
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
139720462
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-01205-z