An Archimedes' screw for light

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30079-z
• Publication Date: 2022-05-09T10:03:05Z
• Authors: Emanuele Galiffi; Paloma A. Huidobro; J. B. Pendry
• Keywords: Detection method; Science; Wavelength; FOS: Physical sciences; 530; Topology; 01 natural sciences; Article; cond-mat.mes-hall; Archimedes’ Screw; Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall); 0103 physical sciences; Maxwell’s Equations; Condensed Matter - Materials Science; Condensed Matter - Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics; Q; Física; Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci); cond-mat.mtrl-sci; 620; Condensed Matter - Other Condensed Matter; cond-mat.other; physics.optics; Physics - Optics; Optics (physics.optics); Other Condensed Matter (cond-mat.other)

Abstract An Archimedes’ Screw captures water, feeding energy into it by lifting to a higher level. We introduce the first instance of an optical Screw, and demonstrate how this system is capable capturing light, dragging amplifying it. unveil new exact analytic solutions Maxwell’s Equations for wide family chiral space-time media, show their potential achieve chirally selective amplification within widely tunable parity-time-broken phases. Our work, which may be readily implemented via pump-probe experiments with circularly polarized beams, opens direction in physics time-varying media merging rising field metamaterials that systems, offers playground topological non-Hermitian photonics, applications spectroscopy sensing.