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

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 materials with different magnetic biases. 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 two 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 new edge modes and anomalous high-wavenumber spectral effects which alter the BEC. We analyze these spectral alterations and define a new anomalous BEC in continuum photonic systems which includes contributions from topological invariants and discontinuities in magnetic field bias.

24 pages, 10 figures. To appear in Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical