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Broken Time Reversal of Light Interaction with Planar Chiral Nanostructures

A. S. Schwanecke·A. Krasavin·D. M. Bagnall·A. Potts·A. V. Zayats·N. I. Zheludev
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Abstract

We report unambiguous experimental evidence of broken time reversal symmetry for the interaction of light with an artificial non-magnetic material. Polarized colour images of planar chiral gold-on-silicon nanostructures consisting of arrays of gammadions show intriguing and unusual symmetry: structures, which are geometrically mirror images, loose their mirror symmetry in polarized light. The symmetry of images can only be described in terms of anti-symmetry (black-and-white symmetry) appropriate to a time-odd process. The effect results from a transverse chiral non-local electromagnetic response of the structure and has some striking resemblance with the expected features of light scattering on anyon matter.

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A. S. Schwanecke, A. Krasavin, D. M. Bagnall, A. Potts, A. V. Zayats, N. I. Zheludev. 2003-10-09. Broken Time Reversal of Light Interaction with Planar Chiral Nanostructures. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.91.247404

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