Magnetized Epsilon-Near-Zero (ENZ) Structures: Hall Opacity, Hall Transparency, and One-Way Photonic Surface States

Abstract

We study propagation of transverse-magnetic (TM) electromagnetic waves in the bulk and at the surface of magnetized epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) medium in a Voigt configuration. We reveal that in a certain range of material parameters novel regimes of wave propagation emerge: we show that the transparency of the medium can be altered with the magnetization leading either to magnetically induced Hall opacity or Hall transparency of the ENZ. In our theoretical study, we demonstrate that surface waves at the interface between either a transparent or an opaque Hall medium and a homogeneous medium may, under certain conditions, be predominantly one-way. Moreover, we predict that one-way photonic surface states may exist at the interface of an opaque Hall ENZ and a regular metal, giving rise to a possibility for backscattering immune wave propagation and isolation.