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Chiral Metamaterials with PT Symmetry and Beyond
Sotiris Droulias1,2, Ioannis Katsantonis1,2, Maria Kafesaki1,2
1Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, 71110 Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
Physical Review Letters
|July 9, 2019
Summary
Parity-time (PT) symmetric optical systems with chirality can maintain real eigenvalues, enabling advanced polarization control in metamaterials. This research demonstrates PT symmetry is achievable even with strong chirality.
Area of Science:
- * Photonics and Metamaterials
- * Non-Hermitian Optics
- * Electromagnetism
Background:
- * Parity-time (PT) symmetry in non-Hermitian optical systems allows for real eigenvalues.
- * Chiral systems, involving circularly polarized waves, typically conflict with PT symmetry due to handedness changes.
- * Achieving PT symmetry in chiral systems has been a significant challenge in optical research.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To investigate the possibility of PT symmetric permittivity, permeability, and chirality in optical systems.
- * To demonstrate that real eigenvalues can be maintained even when chirality exceeds PT symmetry.
- * To explore the independent control of chirality, permittivity, and permeability in chiral metamaterials.
Main Methods:
- * Theoretical analysis of PT symmetric conditions in chiral optical systems.
- * Numerical simulations to obtain constitutive parameters (permittivity, permeability, chirality) in realistic chiral metamaterials.
- * Parameter retrieval techniques to verify simulated results.
Main Results:
- * Demonstrated that PT symmetric permittivity, permeability, and chirality is achievable in specific configurations.
- * Confirmed that real eigenvalues are maintained even with chirality significantly surpassing PT symmetry.
- * Showcased independent tunability of chirality, permittivity, and permeability in chiral metamaterials.
Conclusions:
- * PT symmetry is compatible with chiral optical systems under certain conditions.
- * Chiral metamaterials offer a pathway to advanced polarization control by independently tailoring optical properties.
- * This work opens new avenues for designing novel optical devices with tailored polarization behaviors.
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