Circular-polarization-selective perfect reflection from chiral superconductors

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Ahn, Junyeong, Vishwanath, Ashvin
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Ahn, Junyeong
Vishwanath, Ashvin
author_facet Ahn, Junyeong
Vishwanath, Ashvin
contents Integrating mirrors with magnetic components is crucial for constructing chiral optical cavities, which provide tunable platforms for time-reversal-asymmetric light-matter interactions. Here, we introduce single-crystal circular-polarization-selective mirrors based on chiral superconductors, which break time-reversal symmetry themselves, eliminating the need for additional components. We show that a circular-polarization-selective perfect reflection (CSPR) occurs for strong-coupling superconductors in the BCS-BEC crossover regime or beyond if the optical Hall conductivity is significant in the unit of conductivity quantum per unit layer, $e^2/ha_z$, where $a_z$ is the lattice constant along the surface normal. While the optical Hall conductivity in chiral superconductors is typically tiny, we classify three routes to obtain a large value. We demonstrate the significant optical Hall conductivity and the resulting CSPR with two examples: (1) superconductivity in doped quantum Hall insulators and (2) chiral pairing that preserves the Bogoliubov Fermi surfaces in the weak-pairing limit. We also discuss the application of our theory to the recently discovered chiral superconducting phase in rhombohedral graphene. Our theory reveals the potential of these classes of chiral superconductors as promising elements for building high-quality-factor terahertz chiral cavities.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_01793
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
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spellingShingle Circular-polarization-selective perfect reflection from chiral superconductors
Ahn, Junyeong
Vishwanath, Ashvin
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Superconductivity
Integrating mirrors with magnetic components is crucial for constructing chiral optical cavities, which provide tunable platforms for time-reversal-asymmetric light-matter interactions. Here, we introduce single-crystal circular-polarization-selective mirrors based on chiral superconductors, which break time-reversal symmetry themselves, eliminating the need for additional components. We show that a circular-polarization-selective perfect reflection (CSPR) occurs for strong-coupling superconductors in the BCS-BEC crossover regime or beyond if the optical Hall conductivity is significant in the unit of conductivity quantum per unit layer, $e^2/ha_z$, where $a_z$ is the lattice constant along the surface normal. While the optical Hall conductivity in chiral superconductors is typically tiny, we classify three routes to obtain a large value. We demonstrate the significant optical Hall conductivity and the resulting CSPR with two examples: (1) superconductivity in doped quantum Hall insulators and (2) chiral pairing that preserves the Bogoliubov Fermi surfaces in the weak-pairing limit. We also discuss the application of our theory to the recently discovered chiral superconducting phase in rhombohedral graphene. Our theory reveals the potential of these classes of chiral superconductors as promising elements for building high-quality-factor terahertz chiral cavities.
title Circular-polarization-selective perfect reflection from chiral superconductors
topic Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Superconductivity
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.01793