Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 16, 2026

11:08
Fabrication And Characterization Of Photonic Crystal Slow Light Waveguides And Cavities
Published on: November 30, 2012
19.6K
Hyperbolic Weyl Point in Reciprocal Chiral Metamaterials
Meng Xiao1, Qian Lin2, Shanhui Fan1
1Department of Electrical Engineering, and Ginzton Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|August 13, 2016
Summary
Researchers found Weyl points in noncentral symmetric metamaterials with time reversal symmetry. The metamaterial exhibits type-I or type-II Weyl points based on nonlocal response, with elliptical helices realizing type-II points.
Area of Science:
- Condensed matter physics
- Electromagnetism
- Materials science
Background:
- Weyl points are exotic topological phenomena in materials.
- Noncentral symmetric metamaterials offer unique electromagnetic properties.
- Chiral coupling between electric and magnetic fields is crucial for certain topological states.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the existence and types of Weyl points in noncentral symmetric metamaterials.
- To explore the role of chiral coupling in forming Weyl points.
- To propose a physical realization of metamaterials exhibiting specific Weyl point types.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical analysis of noncentral symmetric metamaterials with time reversal symmetry.
- Investigation of the influence of nonlocal response on Weyl point characteristics.
- Design and conceptualization of a metamaterial structure using elliptical helices.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated the existence of Weyl points in the studied metamaterial class.
- Showed that the type of Weyl points (Type-I or Type-II) depends on the nonlocal response.
- Proposed a physical realization of elliptical helix metamaterials exhibiting Type-II Weyl points.
Conclusions:
- Noncentral symmetric metamaterials with time reversal symmetry can host Weyl points.
- Tailoring the nonlocal response allows control over Weyl point types.
- Elliptical helix metamaterials provide a viable platform for realizing Type-II Weyl points.
Related Concept Videos
Geometry of Hyperbolas
582
A hyperbola consists of all points where the absolute difference of distances to two fixed points, called foci, remains constant. The standard equation isEach branch extends infinitely and approaches two asymptotes, which guide the curve’s behavior. The parameters a and b define key features: a measures the distance from the center to each vertex along the transverse axis, while b influences the slopes of the asymptotes. The asymptotes have equationsA rectangle centered at the origin with...
582
Chirality
31.7K
Chirality is a term that describes the lack of mirror symmetry in an object. In other words, chiral objects cannot be superposed on their mirror images. For example, our feet are chiral, as the mirror image of the left foot, the right foot, cannot be superposed on the left foot.
Chiral objects exhibit a sense of handedness when they interact with another chiral object. For example, our left foot can only fit in the left shoe and not in the right shoe. Achiral objects — objects that have...
Chiral objects exhibit a sense of handedness when they interact with another chiral object. For example, our left foot can only fit in the left shoe and not in the right shoe. Achiral objects — objects that have...
31.7K
Hyperbolas
514
A hyperbola is a conic section produced when a double-napped cone is intersected by a plane at an angle steeper than the slope of the cone, such that it cuts through both nappes. This intersection yields two separate, mirror-image curves known as branches, which open away from each other along the transverse axis. The nearest points on each branch to the hyperbola’s center are termed vertices, and the distance from the center to a vertex is denoted by a. Perpendicular to the transverse...
514
Reflective Property of Parabolas
393
A parabola is a basic type of conic section that results from the intersection of a plane with a double-napped cone in a direction parallel to one of the cone's sides. This U-shaped curve has a distinctive reflective property: all incoming rays parallel to its axis of symmetry are directed toward a single point, known as the focus. This property is widely utilized in optical and communication technologies that require precise signal concentration.In analytic geometry, a parabola is defined as...
393
Chirality in Nature
17.8K
Chirality is the most intriguing yet essential facet of nature, governing life’s biochemical processes and precision. It can be observed from a snail shell pattern in a macroscopic world to an amino acid, the minutest building block of life. Most of the snails around the world have right-coiled shells because of the intrinsic chirality in their genes. All the amino acids present in the human body exist in an enantiomerically pure state, except for glycine - the sole achiral amino acid.
17.8K
Standing Waves in a Cavity
1.6K
A household microwave and lasers are examples of standing electromagnetic waves in a cavity. When two conducting metal plates are placed parallel at the nodal planes, it creates a cavity where standing waves are formed. The cavity between the two planes is analogous to a stretched string held at the points x = 0 and x = L. Here, the distance 'L' between the two planes must be an integer multiple of half of the wavelength. The wavelengths that satisfy this condition are given by:
1.6K

