11 Feb 2015 | Ling Lu1,*, Zhiyu Wang2, Dexin Ye2, Lixin Ran2, Liang Fu1, John D. Joannopoulos1, and Marin Soljačić1
The paper reports the experimental observation of Weyl points in a 3D double-gyroid photonic crystal, which is a natural realization of the Weyl equations. Weyl points, characterized by two linear dispersion bands intersecting at a single degenerate point, exhibit topological properties and can lead to various novel phenomena in condensed matter and photonics. The authors fabricated the photonic crystal by drilling periodic holes in ceramic-filled plastic slabs, breaking parity (P) symmetry to create Weyl points. Transmission measurements were performed to probe the bulk states, confirming the presence of Weyl points at specific frequencies and wavevectors. This work paves the way for topological photonics and the discovery of new topological phases in 3D photonic systems.The paper reports the experimental observation of Weyl points in a 3D double-gyroid photonic crystal, which is a natural realization of the Weyl equations. Weyl points, characterized by two linear dispersion bands intersecting at a single degenerate point, exhibit topological properties and can lead to various novel phenomena in condensed matter and photonics. The authors fabricated the photonic crystal by drilling periodic holes in ceramic-filled plastic slabs, breaking parity (P) symmetry to create Weyl points. Transmission measurements were performed to probe the bulk states, confirming the presence of Weyl points at specific frequencies and wavevectors. This work paves the way for topological photonics and the discovery of new topological phases in 3D photonic systems.