Giant tunable nonreciprocity of light in Weyl semimetals

Abstract

The propagation of light in Weyl semimetal films is analyzed. The magnetic family of these materials is known by anomalous Hall effect, which, being enhanced by the large Berry curvature, allows one to create strong gyrotropic and nonreciprocity effects without external magnetic field. The existence of nonreciprocal waveguide electromagnetic modes in ferromagnetic Weyl semimetal films in the Voigt configuration is predicted. Thanks to the strong dielectric response caused by the gapless Weyl spectrum and the large Berry curvature, ferromagnetic Weyl semimetals combine the best waveguide properties of magnetic dielectrics or semiconductors with strong anomalous Hall effect in ferromagnets. The magnitude of the nonreciprocity depends both on the internal Weyl semimetal properties, the separation of Weyl nodes, and the external factor, the optical contrast between the media surrounding the film. By tuning the Fermi level in Weyl semimetals, one can vary the operation frequencies of the waveguide modes in THz and mid-IR ranges. Our findings pave the way to the design of compact, tunable, and effective nonreciprocal optical elements.