L lines, C points and Chern numbers: Understanding band structure topology using polarization fields

Fösel T, Peano V, Marquardt F (2017)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2017

Journal

New Journal of Physics Institute of Physics: Open Access Journals / Institute of Physics (IoP) and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft

Book Volume: 19

Article Number: 115013

Journal Issue: 11

DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/aa8a9f

Abstract

Topology has appeared in different physical contexts. The most prominent application is topologically protected edge transport in condensed matter physics. The Chern number, the topological invariant of gapped Bloch Hamiltonians, is an important quantity in this field. Another example of topology, in polarization physics, are polarization singularities, called L lines and C points. By establishing a connection between these two theories, we develop a novel technique to visualize and potentially measure the Chern number: it can be expressed either as the winding of the polarization azimuth along L lines in reciprocal space, or in terms of the handedness and the index of the C points. For mechanical systems, this is directly connected to the visible motion patterns.

Authors with CRIS profile

Thomas Fösel Lehrstuhl für Theoretische Physik Vittorio Peano Cavasola Institut für Theoretische Physik Florian Marquardt Lehrstuhl für Theoretische Physik

How to cite

APA:

Fösel, T., Peano, V., & Marquardt, F. (2017). L lines, C points and Chern numbers: Understanding band structure topology using polarization fields. New Journal of Physics, 19(11). https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/aa8a9f

MLA:

Fösel, Thomas, Vittorio Peano, and Florian Marquardt. "L lines, C points and Chern numbers: Understanding band structure topology using polarization fields." New Journal of Physics 19.11 (2017).

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