Theoretical investigations on Kerr and Faraday rotations in topological multi-Weyl Semimetals

Motivated by the recent proposal of giant Kerr rotation in WSMs, we investigate the Kerr and Faraday rotations in time-reversal broken multi-Weyl semimetals (mWSMs) in the absence of an external magnetic field. Using the framework of Kubo response theory, we find that both the longitudinal and transverse components of the optical conductivity in mWSMs are modified by the topological charge ($n$). Engendered by the optical Hall conductivity, we show in the thin film limit that, while the giant Kerr rotation and corresponding ellipticity are independent of $n$, the Faraday rotation and its ellipticity angle scale as $n$ and $n^2$, respectively. In contrast, the polarization rotation in semi-infinite mWSMs is dominated by the axion field showing $n$ dependence. In particular, the magnitude of Kerr (Faraday) angle decreases (increases) with increasing $n$ in Faraday geometry, whereas in Voigt geometry, it depicts different $n$-dependencies in different frequency regimes. The obtained results on the behavior of polarization rotations in mWSMs could be used in experiments as a probe to distinguish single, double, and triple WSMs, as well as discriminate the surfaces of mWSMs with and without hosting Fermi arcs.Comment: 12 Pages, 5 Figures, Submission to SciPos

Radiation families emitted by a discrete soliton in parity-time-symmetric waveguide arrays

We investigate the dynamics of a spatial discrete soliton and the radiation families emitted by it inside a parity-time ($\mathcal{PT}$)-symmetric waveguide array with alternate gain-loss channels. A strong spatial soliton that evolves inside the waveguide array due to the balance between discrete diffraction and Kerr nonlinearity excites linear waves in the form of diffractive radiation when launched with an angle. $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric nature of the waveguide leads to additional radiations in Fourier space that were never explored before. In our work, we mainly focus on the origin of these radiations and try to understand how to control them. Under strong $\mathcal{PT}$ symmetry, a discrete soliton launched normally to the waveguide array produces strong side-lobes which can lead to a population of field at $\pm \pi/2$ in momentum space. In addition, a strong soliton with initial phase gradient radiates unique $\mathcal{PT}$ symmetry assisted linear wave. We establish a phase matching condition to locate such radiation in momentum space. The periodic arrangement of the gain-loss channel also leads to radiations due to reflection and back-scattering, which is prominent for a weak soliton. A linear Hamiltonian analysis for such a waveguide array is provided to identify the $\mathcal{PT}$-phase transition regime and to optimize the parameter for stable discrete soliton dynamics. We thoroughly investigate the origin of all the radiations that emerged in the $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric waveguide array and put forward the background theory which is in good agreement with the full numerical results

Bistable soliton switching dynamics in a PT\mathcal{PT}-symmetric coupler with saturable nonlinearity

We investigate the switching dynamics in a $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric fiber coupler composed of a saturable nonlinear material as the core. In such a saturable nonlinear medium, bistable solitons may evolve due to the balance between dispersion and saturable nonlinearity, which we extend in the context of $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric coupler. Our investigations of power-controlled and phase-sensitive switching show richer soliton switching dynamics than the currently existing conventional counterparts, which may lead to ultrafast and efficient all-optical switching dynamics at very low power owing to the combined effects of $\mathcal{PT}$ symmetry and saturable nonlinearity. In addition to the input power, the relative phase of the input solitons and saturable coefficient are additional controlling parameters that efficiently tailor the switching dynamics. Also, we provide a suitable range of system and pulse parameters that would be helpful for the practical realization of the coupler to use in all-optical switching devices and photonic circuits.Comment: 7 pages, 9 figure

Plasmon-enhanced circular dichroism spectroscopy of chiral drug solutions

We investigate the potential of surface plasmon polaritons at noble metal interfaces for surface-enhanced chiroptical sensing of dilute chiral drug solutions with nano-litre volume. The high quality factor of surface plasmon resonances in both Otto and Kretschmann configurations enables the enhancement of circular dichroism thanks to the large near-field intensity of such plasmonic excitations. Furthermore, the subwavelength confinement of surface plasmon polaritons is key to attain chiroptical sensitivity to small amounts of drug volumes placed around $\simeq$ 100 nm by the metal surface. Our calculations focus on reparixin, a pharmaceutical molecule currently used in clinical studies for patients with community-acquired pneumonia, including COVID-19 and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Considering realistic dilute solutions of reparixin dissolved in water with concentration $\leq$ 5 mg/ml and nl volume, we find a circular-dichroism differential absorption enhancement factor of the order $\simeq$ 20 and chirality-induced polarization distortion upon surface plasmon polariton excitation. Our results are relevant for the development of innovative chiroptical sensors capable of measuring the enantiomeric imbalance of chiral drug solutions with nl volume