Nonreciprocity and one-way topological transitions in hyperbolic metamaterials

Abstract

Control of the electromagnetic waves in nano-scale structured materials is crucial to the development of next generation photonic circuits and devices. In this context, hyperbolic metamaterials, where elliptical isofrequency surfaces are morphed into surfaces with exotic hyperbolic topologies when the structure parameters are tuned, have shown unprecedented control over light propagation and interaction. Here we show that such topological transitions can be even more unusual when the hyperbolic metamaterial is endowed with nonreciprocity. Judicious design of metamaterials with reduced spatial symmetries, together with the breaking of time-reversal symmetry through magnetization, is shown to result in nonreciprocal dispersion and one-way topological phase transitions in hyperbolic metamaterials.