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Updated: Jun 5, 2025

Preparation of Liquid Crystal Networks for Macroscopic Oscillatory Motion Induced by Light
Published on: September 20, 2017
Replicating physical motion with Minkowskian isorefractive spacetime crystals
Filipa R Prudêncio1,2, Mário G Silveirinha1
1University of Lisbon - Instituto Superior Técnico and Instituto de Telecomunicações, Avenida Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal.
Abstract:
Here, we show that isorefractive spacetime crystals with a travelling-wave modulation may mimic rigorously the response of moving material systems. Unlike generic spacetime crystals, which are characterized by a bi-anisotropic coupling in the co-moving frame, isorefractive crystals exhibit an observer-independent response, resulting in isotropic constitutive relations devoid of any bianisotropy. We show how to take advantage of this property in the calculation of the band diagrams of isorefractive spacetime crystals in the laboratory frame and in the study of the synthetic Fresnel drag. Furthermore, we discuss the impact of considering either a Galilean or a Lorentz transformation in the homogenization of spacetime crystals, showing that the effective response is independent of the considered transformation.
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