Magneto-polaritons in Weyl semimetals in a strong magnetic field

TL;DR

This paper explores the unique optical properties of Weyl semimetals under strong magnetic fields, revealing magneto-polaritons with hyperbolic dispersion and potential for advanced spectroscopic and terahertz applications.

Contribution

It demonstrates that Weyl semimetals in strong magnetic fields exhibit novel magneto-polaritons with unusual optical phenomena, expanding understanding of their electromagnetic response.

Findings

Magneto-polaritons with hyperbolic dispersion

Photonic stop bands and polarization conversion

Potential for optical spectroscopy and terahertz applications

Abstract

Exotic topological and transport properties of Weyl semimetals generated a lot of excitement in the condensed matter community. Here we show that Weyl semimetals in a strong magnetic field are highly unusual optical materials. The propagation of electromagnetic waves is affected by an interplay between plasmonic response of chiral Weyl fermions and extreme anisotropy induced by a magnetic field. The resulting magneto-polaritons possess a number of peculiar properties, such as hyperbolic dispersion, photonic stop bands, coupling-induced transparency, and broadband polarization conversion. These effects can be used for optical spectroscopy of these materials including detection of the chiral anomaly, or for broadband terahertz/infrared applications.