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PreprintCC BY 4.0arXiv

Continuum Photonic Axion Insulators

  • Mario G. Silveirinha
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Abstract

Here, I study the conditions for realizing an axion topology in a homogeneous inversion-symmetric electromagnetic continuum, in the absence of a crystalline lattice. I introduce a continuum inversion invariant expressed solely in terms of the spectral properties of the material response in the zero- and infinite-wave-vector limits. Surprisingly, it is found that standard gyrotropic-type material responses are strongly constrained and, under fairly general conditions, cannot open an axion gap within first-order perturbation theory. Based on an analogy between the effective response of crystalline photonic axion insulators and the optical response of centrosymmetric altermagnets, a class of spatially dispersive odd magnetoelectric couplings that can open an axion gap is identified. These findings suggest an interesting hierarchy of nonreciprocal mechanisms in electromagnetic continua: while uniform gyrotropy relates to Chern phases, odd magnetoelectric coupling relates to axion phases.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@misc{silveirinha2026continuum,
  title = {{Continuum Photonic Axion Insulators}},
  author = {Mario G. Silveirinha},
  howpublished = {arXiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = nov,
  doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2611.07893},
  eprint = {2611.07893},
  archivePrefix = {arXiv},
  url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.07893},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - UNPB
TI  - Continuum Photonic Axion Insulators
AU  - Mario G. Silveirinha
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/11/05
PB  - arXiv
DO  - 10.48550/arxiv.2611.07893
UR  - https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.07893
AB  - Here, I study the conditions for realizing an axion topology in a homogeneous inversion-symmetric electromagnetic continuum, in the absence of a crystalline lattice. I introduce a continuum inversion invariant expressed solely in terms of the spectral properties of the material response in the zero- and infinite-wave-vector limits. Surprisingly, it is found that standard gyrotropic-type material responses are strongly constrained and, under fairly general conditions, cannot open an axion gap within first-order perturbation theory. Based on an analogy between the effective response of crystalline photonic axion insulators and the optical response of centrosymmetric altermagnets, a class of spatially dispersive odd magnetoelectric couplings that can open an axion gap is identified. These findings suggest an interesting hierarchy of nonreciprocal mechanisms in electromagnetic continua: while uniform gyrotropy relates to Chern phases, odd magnetoelectric coupling relates to axion phases.
ER  -