Direct observation of topological surface-state arcs in photonic metamaterials

Biao Yang, Qinghua Guo, Ben Tremain, Lauren E. Barr, Wenlong Gao, Hongchao Liu, Benjamin Béri, Yuanjiang Xiang, Dianyuan Fan, Alastair P. Hibbins () and Shuang Zhang ()
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Biao Yang: University of Birmingham
Qinghua Guo: University of Birmingham
Ben Tremain: University of Exeter
Lauren E. Barr: University of Exeter
Wenlong Gao: University of Birmingham
Hongchao Liu: University of Birmingham
Benjamin Béri: University of Birmingham
Yuanjiang Xiang: Shenzhen University
Dianyuan Fan: Shenzhen University
Alastair P. Hibbins: University of Exeter
Shuang Zhang: University of Birmingham

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract The discovery of topological phases has introduced new perspectives and platforms for various interesting physics originally investigated in quantum contexts and then, on an equal footing, in classic wave systems. As a characteristic feature, nontrivial Fermi arcs, connecting between topologically distinct Fermi surfaces, play vital roles in the classification of Dirac and Weyl semimetals, and have been observed in quantum materials very recently. However, in classical systems, no direct experimental observation of Fermi arcs in momentum space has been reported so far. Here, using near-field scanning measurements, we show the observation of photonic topological surface-state arcs connecting topologically distinct bulk states in a chiral hyperbolic metamaterial. To verify the topological nature of this system, we further observe backscattering-immune propagation of a nontrivial surface wave across a three-dimension physical step. Our results demonstrate a metamaterial approach towards topological photonics and offer a deeper understanding of topological phases in three-dimensional classical systems.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00134-1

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