Measuring a piecewise constant axion field in classical electrodynamics

Abstract

In order to settle the problem of the "Post constraint" in material media, we consider the propagation of a plane electromagnetic wave in a medium with a piecewise constant axion field. Although a constant axion field does not affect the wave propagation in a homogeneous medium, we show that the reflection and transmission of a wave at an interface between the two media is sensitive to the difference of the axion values. This observation can be used to determine experimentally the axion piece in matter despite the fact that a constant axion value does not contribute to the Maxwell equations.

Revtex, 12 pages, 3 figures

References in corpus (3)

• Linear media in classical electrodynamics and the Post constraint
• On the genesis of Post constraint in modern electromagnetism
• On possible skewon effects on light propagation

Cited by in corpus (43)

• Magnetoelectric Effects in Local Light-Matter Interactions
• Theory of orbital magnetoelectric response
• Electric-Magnetic Duality and Topological Insulators
• Relativistic nature of a magnetoelectric modulus of Cr_2O_3-crystals: a new 4-dimensional pseudoscalar and its measurement
• Repulsive Casimir Effect with Chern insulators
• Effect of finite temperature and uniaxial anisotropy on the Casimir effect with three-dimensional topological insulators
• Green's function approach to Chern-Simons extended electrodynamics: an effective theory describing topological insulators
• Non-minimal coupling of photons and axions
• Magnetoelectric Cr_2 O_3 and relativity theory
• Electro and magneto statics of topological insulators as modeled by planar, spherical and cylindrical $\theta$ boundaries: Green function approach
• Electromagnetic description of three-dimensional time-reversal invariant ponderable topological insulators
• On Kottler's path: origin and evolution of the premetric program in gravity and in electrodynamics
• The non-birefringent limit of all linear, skewonless media and its unique light-cone structure
• The Electromagnetic Green's Function for Layered Topological Insulators
• Teleparallel axions and cosmology
• Spin-axion coupling
• Spacetime metric from local and linear electrodynamics: a new axiomatic scheme
• Gradient models of the axion-photon coupling
• Reversed electromagnetic Vavilov-Čerenkov radiation in naturally existing magnetoelectric media
• The magnetoelectric coupling in Electrodynamics
• Axion electrodynamics and dark matter fingerprints in the terrestrial magnetic and electric fields
• Magnetoelectric effect in cylindrical topological insulators
• Dilaton field and cosmic wave propagation
• Modification of transition radiation by three-dimensional topological insulators
• Optical properties of topological insulator Bragg gratings: Faraday rotation enhancement for TM polarized light at large incidence angles
• Chiral Anomaly, Topological Field Theory, and Novel States of Matter
• Casimir interaction of two dielectric half spaces with Chern-Simons boundary layers
• Time Circular Birefringence in Time-Dependent Magnetoelectric Media
• Equivalence principle and electromagnetic field: no birefringence, no dilaton, and no axion
• Magnetoelectric effect of a conducting sphere near a planar topological insulator
• On nonlinear classical electrodynamics with an axionic term
• Equivalence Principles, Spacetime Structure and the Cosmic Connection
• Electromagnetism, Axions, and Topology: a first-order operator approach to constitutive responses provides greater freedom
• Gravitational waves propagation in nondynamical Chern-Simons gravity
• Axiomatics of classical electrodynamics and its relation to gauge field theory
• Axions, Surface States, and the Post Constraint in Electromagnetics
• Vavilov-Cherenkov radiation for parallel motion in three-dimensional topological insulators
• Temporary Singularities and Axions: an analytic solution that challenges charge conservation
• Exact solution of the Schrödinger equation for an hydrogen atom at the interface between the vacuum and a topologically insulating surface
• On spacetime structure and electrodynamics
• Casimir-Polder interaction with Chern-Simons boundary layers
• On the boundary-value problems and the validity of the Post constraint in modern electromagnetism
• The magnetoelectric effect due to a semispherical capacitor surrounded by a spherical topologically insulating shell