Band structures of generalized eigenvalue equation and conic section

Abstract

Band structures of several metamaterials are described by generalized eigenvalue equations where complex bands emerge even if the involved matrices are Hermitian. In this paper, we provide a geometrical understanding of the real-complex transition of the band structures. Specifically, our analysis, based on auxiliary eigenvalues, elucidates the correspondence between the real-complex transition of the generalized eigenvalue equations and Lifshitz transition in electron systems. Furthermore, we elucidate that real (complex) bands of a photonic system correspond to the Fermi surfaces of type-II (type-I) Dirac cones in electron systems when the permittivity $\varepsilon$ and the permeability $\mu$ are independent of frequency. In addition, our analysis elucidates that EPs are induced by the frequency dependence of the permittivity $\varepsilon$ and the permeability $\mu$ in our photonic system.