Wave propagation and hybridization of plasmonic modes in Maxwell-Chern-Simons pseudo-electrodynamics
We investigate the propagation of classical plane waves and surface plasmon-polariton modes within the framework of pseudo-electrodynamics (PED) supplemented by a non-local Chern-Simons (CS) topological term. Starting from the dimensionally reduced action, we derive the decoupled second-order wave equations for the electromagnetic field, and for the gauge-potential. In vacuum, we show that the topological CS parameter works as a dynamical mass generator, modifying the strict transversality of plane waves, and introducing a distinct energy \textit{gap} in the dispersion relation. Considering a planar conducting medium that satisfies the Ohm law, the topological mass induces a novel hybridization mechanism between the Transverse Electric (TE), and Transverse Magnetic (TM) modes, a feature entirely absent in the conventional planar plasmonics. We analyze the asymptotic limits of this system, obtaining the exact real solutions in the lossless reactive Drude regime, and deriving the complex refractive index through a quasi-local approximation in the dissipative regime.