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Chiral electromagnetic surface waves on Chern-Simons interfaces

Nemanja Kaloper*

  • *Contact author: kaloper@physics.ucdavis.edu
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Phys. Rev. D 114, L051903 – Published 8 September, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/3d6y-s6sc

Abstract

We show that Maxwell theory with a codimension-1 Chern-Simons interface may support chiral electromagnetic surface waves on the interface, even when the bulk theory on both sides is conventional vacuum electrodynamics in infinite space. Solving the exact boundary value problem, we find that the Chern-Simons interaction acts with opposite sign on the two helicities oriented along the interface, giving rise to one normalizable mode localized on the interface. This mode is a gapless chiral surface photon with linear dispersion and a frequency-independent index of refraction set by the Chern-Simons coefficient. This mode exists despite the absence of bulk ambient material response or geometric confinement.

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Phys. Rev. D 114, L051903– Published 8 September, 2026
  • Received 6 June 2026
  • Accepted 12 August 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP3.

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