Axion Topology in Photonic Crystal Domain Walls

Abstract Axion insulators are 3D magnetic higher-order topological insulators protected by inversion symmetry that exhibit hinge-localized chiral channels and induce quantized topological magnetoelectric effects. Recent research has suggested that axion insulators may be capable of detecting dark-matter axion-like particles by coupling to their axionic excitations. Beyond its fundamental theoretical interest, designing a photonic axion insulator offers the potential to enable the development of magnetically-tunable photonic switch devices through the manipulation of the axionic modes and their chiral propagation using external magnetic fields. Motivated by these facts, in this work, we propose a novel approach to induce axionic band topology in gyrotropic 3D Weyl photonic crystals gapped by supercell modulation. To quantize an axionic angle, we create domain walls across inversion-symmetric photonic crystals, incorporating a phase-obstruction in the supercell modulation of their dielectric elements. This allows us to bind chiral channels on inversion-related hinges, ultimately leading to the realization of an axionic chiral channel of light. Moreover, by controlling the gyrotropic response of the material, we demonstrate a physically accessible way of manipulating the axionic modes through a small external magnetic bias, which provides an effective topological switch between different 1D chiral photonic fiber configurations. Remarkably, the unidirectional axionic hinge states supported by the photonic axion insulator are buried in a fully connected 3D dielectric structure, thereby being protected from radiation through the electromagnetic continuum. As a result, they are highly suitable for applications in guided-light communication, where the preservation and non-reciprocal propagation of photonic signals are of paramount importance.