Sub-Wavelength Passive Optical Isolators Using Photonic Structures Based on Weyl Semimetals

Abstract: We design sub-wavelength high-performing non-reciprocal optical devices using recently discovered magnetic Weyl semimetals. These passive bulk topological materials exhibit anomalous Hall effect which results in magnetooptical effects that are orders of magnitude higher than those in conventional materials, without the need of any external magnetic bias. We design two optical isolators of both Faraday and Voigt geometries. These isolators have dimensions that are reduced by three orders of magnitude compared to conventional magneto-optical configurations. Our results indicate that the magnetic Weyl semimetals may open up new avenues in photonics for the design of various nonreciprocal components.