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Gigantic Tellegen responses in metamaterials

Author

Listed:
  • Qingdong Yang

    (University of Hong Kong)

  • Xinhua Wen

    (University of Hong Kong)

  • Zhongfu Li

    (University of Hong Kong)

  • Oubo You

    (University of Hong Kong)

  • Shuang Zhang

    (University of Hong Kong
    University of Hong Kong
    HKU-SIRI)

Abstract

Tellegen medium has long been a topic of debate, with its existence being contested over several decades. It was first proposed by Tellegen in 1948 and is characterized by a real-valued cross coupling between electric and magnetic responses, distinguishing it from the well-known chiral medium that has imaginary coupling coefficients. Significantly, Tellegen responses are closely linked to axion dynamics, an extensively studied subject in condensed matter physics. Here, we report the realization of Tellegen metamaterials in the microwave region through a judicious combination of subwavelength metallic resonators, gyromagnetic materials, and permanent magnets. We observe the key signature of the Tellegen response – a Kerr rotation for reflected wave, while the polarization remains the same in the transmission direction. The retrieved effective Tellegen parameter is several orders of magnitude greater than that of natural materials. Our work opens door to a variety of nonreciprocal photonic devices and may provide a platform for studying axion physics.

Suggested Citation

  • Qingdong Yang & Xinhua Wen & Zhongfu Li & Oubo You & Shuang Zhang, 2025. "Gigantic Tellegen responses in metamaterials," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-7, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-55159-0
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-55159-0
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