Fourier-Domain Electromagnetic Wave Theory for Layered Metamaterials of Finite Extent

The Floquet-Bloch theorem allows waves in infinite, lossless periodic media to be expressed as a sum of discrete Floquet-Bloch modes, but its validity is challenged under the realistic constraints of loss and finite extent. In this work, we mathematically reveal the existence of Floquet-Bloch modes in the electromagnetic fields sustained by lossy, finite periodic layered media using Maxwell's equations alone without invoking the Floquet-Bloch theorem. Starting with a transfer-matrix representation of the electromagnetic field in a generic layered medium, we apply Fourier transformation and a series of mathematical manipulations to isolate a term explicitly dependent on Floquet-Bloch modes. Fourier-domain representation of the electromagnetic field can be reduced into a product of the Floquet-Bloch term and two other matrix factors: one governed by reflections from the medium boundaries and another dependent on layer composition. Electromagnetic fields in any finite, lossy, layered structure can now be interpreted in the Fourier-domain by separable factors dependent on distinct physical features of the structure. The developed theory enables new methods for analyzing and communicating the electromagnetic properties of layered metamaterials.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

A new SSI algorithm for LPTV systems: Application to a hinged-bladed helicopter

Many systems such as turbo-generators, wind turbines and helicopters show intrinsic time-periodic behaviors. Usually, these structures are considered to be faithfully modeled as linear time-invariant (LTI). In some cases where the rotor is anisotropic, this modeling does not hold and the equations of motion lead necessarily to a linear periodically time- varying (referred to as LPTV in the control and digital signal field or LTP in the mechanical and nonlinear dynamics world) model. Classical modal analysis methodologies based on the classical time-invariant eigenstructure (frequencies and damping ratios) of the system no more apply. This is the case in particular for subspace methods. For such time-periodic systems, the modal analysis can be described by characteristic exponents called Floquet multipliers. The aim of this paper is to suggest a new subspace-based algorithm that is able to extract these multipliers and the corresponding frequencies and damping ratios. The algorithm is then tested on a numerical model of a hinged-bladed helicopter on the ground

Periodic orbits from Δ-modulation of stable linear systems

The �-modulated control of a single input, discrete time, linear stable system is investigated. The modulation direction is given by cTx where c �Rn/{0} is a given, otherwise arbitrary, vector. We obtain necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of periodic points of a finite order. Some concrete results about the existence of a certain order of periodic points are also derived. We also study the relationship between certain polyhedra and the periodicity of the �-modulated orbit

Statistical mechanics of Floquet systems: the pervasive problem of near degeneracies

The statistical mechanics of periodically driven ("Floquet") systems in contact with a heat bath exhibits some radical differences from the traditional statistical mechanics of undriven systems. In Floquet systems all quasienergies can be placed in a finite frequency interval, and the number of near degeneracies in this interval grows without limit as the dimension N of the Hilbert space increases. This leads to pathologies, including drastic changes in the Floquet states, as N increases. In earlier work these difficulties were put aside by fixing N, while taking the coupling to the bath to be smaller than any quasienergy difference. This led to a simple explicit theory for the reduced density matrix, but with some major differences from the usual time independent statistical mechanics. We show that, for weak but finite coupling between system and heat bath, the accuracy of a calculation within the truncated Hilbert space spanned by the N lowest energy eigenstates of the undriven system is limited, as N increases indefinitely, only by the usual neglect of bath memory effects within the Born and Markov approximations. As we seek higher accuracy by increasing N, we inevitably encounter quasienergy differences smaller than the system-bath coupling. We therefore derive the steady state reduced density matrix without restriction on the size of quasienergy splittings. In general, it is no longer diagonal in the Floquet states. We analyze, in particular, the behavior near a weakly avoided crossing, where quasienergy near degeneracies routinely appear. The explicit form of our results for the denisty matrix gives a consistent prescription for the statistical mechanics for many periodically driven systems with N infinite, in spite of the Floquet state pathologies.Comment: 31 pages, 3 figure

Spectroscopic probes of isolated nonequilibrium quantum matter: Quantum quenches, Floquet states, and distribution functions

We investigate radio-frequency (rf) spectroscopy, metal-to-superconductor tunneling, and ARPES as probes of isolated out-of-equilibrium quantum systems, and examine the crucial role played by the nonequilibrium distribution function. As an example, we focus on the induced topological time-periodic (Floquet) phase in a 2D $p+ip$ superfluid, following an instantaneous quench of the coupling strength. The post-quench Cooper pairs occupy a linear combination of "ground" and "excited" Floquet states, with coefficients determined by the distribution function. While the Floquet bandstructure exhibits a single avoided crossing relative to the equilibrium case, the distribution function shows a population inversion of the Floquet bands at low energies. For a realization in ultracold atoms, these two features compensate, producing a bulk average rf signal that is well-captured by a quasi-equilibrium approximation. In particular, the rf spectrum shows a robust gap. The single crossing occurs because the quench-induced Floquet phase belongs to a particular class of soliton dynamics for the BCS equation. The population inversion is a consequence of this, and ensures the conservation of the pseudospin winding number. As a comparison, we compute the rf signal when only the lower Floquet band is occupied; in this case, the gap disappears for strong quenches. The tunneling signal in a solid state realization is ignorant of the distribution function, and can show wildly different behaviors. We also examine rf, tunneling, and ARPES for weak quenches, such that the resulting topological steady-state is characterized by a constant nonequilibrium order parameter. In a system with a boundary, tunneling reveals the Majorana edge states. However, the local rf signal due to the edge states is suppressed by a factor of the inverse system size, and is spatially deconfined throughout the bulk of the sample.Comment: 22 pages, 15 figures. v2: Added calculated ARPES spectr