Current-induced nonreciprocity and refraction-suppressed propagation in a multilayered graphene-dielectric crystal

Abstract

Nonreciprocal photonic devices play a significant role in regulating the propagation of electromagnetic waves. Here we theoretically investigate the nonreciprocal properties of transverse magnetic modes in a multilayered graphene-dielectric crystal under an applied DC bias. We find that drifting electrons driven by the external DC electric field can give rise to extremely asymmetric dispersion diagrams. Furthermore, when the drifting electrons travel antiparallel to the normal component of the incident wave vector, negative refraction can be strongly suppressed, causing the energy of light to flow along the direction of the electric current. Our theoretical findings can be used to design nonreciprocal optoelectronic devices and enable light to propagate without refraction.