New polarization rotation and exact TEM wave solutions in topological insulators

Abstract

In the context of $\theta$ electrodynamics we find transverse electromagnetic wave solutions forbidden in Maxwell electrodynamics. Our results attest to new evidence of the topological magnetoelectric effect in topological insulators, resulting from a polarization rotation of an external electromagnetic field. Unlike Faraday and Kerr rotations, the effect does not rely on a longitudinal magnetic field, the reflected field, or birefringence. The rotation occurs due to transversal discontinuities of the topological magnetoelectric parameter in cylindrical geometries. The dispersion relation is linear, and birefringence is absent. One solution behaves as an optical fiber confining exact transverse electromagnetic fields with omnidirectional reflectivity. These results may open new possibilities in optics and photonics by utilizing topological insulators to manipulate light.