Axion crystals

Sho Ozaki, Naoki Yamamoto

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The low-energy effective theories for gapped insulators are classified by three parameters: permittivity ϵ, permeability μ, and theta angle θ. Crystals with periodic ϵ are known as photonic crystals. We here study the band structure of photons in a new type of crystals with periodic θ (modulo 2π) in space, which we call the axion crystals. We find that the axion crystals have a number of new properties that the usual photonic crystals do not possess, such as the helicity-dependent mass gap and nonrelativistic gapless dispersion relation at small momentum. We briefly discuss possible realizations of axion crystals in condensed matter systems and high-energy physics.

Original languageEnglish
Article number98
JournalJournal of High Energy Physics
Volume2017
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017 Aug 1

Keywords

  • Effective Field Theories
  • Gauge Symmetry
  • Topological States of Matter

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Nuclear and High Energy Physics

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