Symmetry-enforced three-dimensional Dirac phononic crystals
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 25, 2025

Using Microwave and Macroscopic Samples of Dielectric Solids to Study the Photonic Properties of Disordered Photonic Bandgap Materials
Published on: September 26, 2014
Xiangxi Cai1, Liping Ye1, Chunyin Qiu1
11Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro-Structures and Nano-Structures of Ministry of Education and School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, 430072 Wuhan, China.
Abstract:
Dirac semimetals, the materials featuring fourfold degenerate Dirac points, are critical states of topologically distinct phases. Such gapless topological states have been accomplished by a band-inversion mechanism, in which the Dirac points can be annihilated pairwise by perturbations without changing the symmetry of the system. Here, we report an experimental observation of Dirac points that are enforced completely by the crystal symmetry using a nonsymmorphic three-dimensional phononic crystal. Intriguingly, our Dirac phononic crystal hosts four spiral topological surface states, in which the surface states of opposite helicities intersect gaplessly along certain momentum lines, as confirmed by additional surface measurements. The novel Dirac system may release new opportunities for studying elusive (pseudo) and offer a unique prototype platform for acoustic applications.
Related Concept Videos
Symmetry in Maxwell's Equations
Chirality
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...
Gauss's Law: Planar Symmetry
Standing Waves in a Cavity
Structures of Solids
Crystal Field Theory - Tetrahedral and Square Planar Complexes
Crystal field theory (CFT) is applicable to molecules in geometries other than octahedral. In octahedral complexes, the lobes of the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals point directly at the ligands. For tetrahedral complexes, the d orbitals remain in place, but with only four ligands located between the axes. None of the orbitals points directly at the tetrahedral ligands. However, the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals (along the Cartesian axes) overlap with the ligands less than the dxy,...

