Spin-Orbit Coupling and the Optical Spin Hall Effect in Photonic Graphene

2014/04/25 by A. V. Nalitov, G. Malpuech, Hugo Terças +3
Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Condensed matter physics #Coupling (piping) #Electron #Graphene #Graphene research and applications #Hamiltonian (control theory) #Lattice (music) #Magnetic field #Materials science #Physics #Point reflection #Quantum and electron transport phenomena #Quantum mechanics #Spin (aerodynamics) #Spin Hall effect #Spin polarization #Spin–orbit interaction #Symmetry (geometry) #Topological Materials and Phenomena #cond-mat.mes-hall #physics.optics

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.114.026803

5 pages, 3 figures

arxiv created 2014/04/25 · openalex publication_date 2015/01/16 · arxiv updated 2015/06/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

We study the spin-orbit coupling induced by the splitting between TE and TM optical modes in a photonic honeycomb lattice. Using a tight-binding approach, we calculate analytically the band structure. Close to the Dirac point, we derive an effective Hamiltonian. We find that the local reduced symmetry (D_3h) transforms the TE-TM effective magnetic field into an emergent field with a Dresselhaus symmetry. As a result, particles become massive, but no gap opens. The emergent field symmetry is revealed by the optical spin Hall effect.

Citations

• Observation of the Spin Hall Effect in Semiconductors
• Quantum fluids of light
• Non-Abelian Gauge Fields in Photonic Cavities and Photonic Superfluids
• An Aharonov-Bohm interferometer for determining Bloch band topology
• Quantum Spin Hall Effect in Graphene
• Quantum Spin Hall Insulator State in HgTe Quantum Wells
• Direct Observation of Dirac Cones and a Flatband in a Honeycomb Lattice for Polaritons
• Dirac point and edge states in a microwave realization of tight-binding graphene-like structures
• Topological Insulators
• Artificial honeycomb lattices for electrons, atoms and photons

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