Effects of interface regularity on the bulk-edge correspondence in continuum photonic systems

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the variation of magnetic bias at interfaces affects topological invariants and edge states in continuum photonic systems, revealing robustness with continuous bias and new phenomena with discontinuities.

Contribution

It introduces a generalized analysis of bulk-edge correspondence considering finite-width interfaces with varying magnetic bias, including discontinuities.

Findings

Continuous magnetic bias variation preserves bulk-edge correspondence.

Discontinuities create localized edge modes with altered spectral properties.

A new anomalous bulk-edge correspondence is defined for systems with bias discontinuities.

Abstract

In this study we analyze the topological invariants and edge states of transverse magnetic wave propagation in continuum photonic systems at a finite-width interface between two gyrotropic matrials with different magnetic bias. Where previous studies have almost exclusively considered sharp transitions between two different electromagnetic media, we consider the more general geometry where the magnetic field bias is allowed to vary arbitrarily in a finite-width interface between to bulk regions. We find that when the magnetic field bias varies continuously between the two bulk regions, the Bulk Edge Correspondence (BEC) holds robustly with respect to well-defined Chern invariants. However, discontinuities in the magnetic field bias introduce edge modes which are highly localized at the associated discontinuity and whose spectral properties alter the BEC. We analyze the spectral properties of these edge modes and define a new anomalous BEC in continuum photonic systems which includes contributions from topological invariants and discontinuities in magnetic field bias.