Bilayer Photonic Graphene

TL;DR

This paper introduces a photonic analog of bilayer graphene using stacked photonic crystals coupled via spoof surface plasmons, exploring band structure manipulation, magic angles, and topological phases through theoretical, numerical, and experimental methods.

Contribution

It presents the first detailed study of bilayer photonic graphene, including its band structures, twist effects, and topological properties, with experimental validation.

Findings

Identification of tunable band structures via interlayer coupling.

Prediction of magic angles with ultra-flat bands.

Demonstration of high-order topological insulator phases.

Abstract

Drawing inspiration from bilayer graphene, this paper introduces its photonic analog comprising two stacked graphene-like photonic crystals, that are coupled in the near-field through spoof surface plasmons. Beyond the twist degree of freedom that can radically alter the band structure of the bilayer photonic graphene, the photonic dispersion can be also tailored via the interlayer coupling which exhibits an exponential dependence on the distance between the two photonic crystals. We theoretically, numerically, and experimentally characterize the band structures of AA- and AB-stacked bilayer photonic graphene, as well as for twisted bilayer photonic graphene with even and odd sublattice exchange symmetries. Furthermore, we numerically predict the existence of magic angles in bilayer photonic graphene, which are associated with ultra-flat bands resulted from interlayer hybridization. Finally, we demonstrate that the bilayer photonic graphene at a particular twist angle satisfying even sublattice exchange symmetry is a high-order photonic topological insulator. The proposed bilayer photonic graphene could constitute a useful platform for identifying new quantum materials and inspiring next-generation photonic devices with new degrees of freedom and emerging functionality.