Nonreciprocity and Faraday Rotation at Time Interfaces

Abstract

Nonreciprocity is critically important in modern wave technologies, yet its general principles and practical implementations continue to raise intense research interest, in particular in the context of broken reciprocity based on spatiotemporal modulation. Abrupt changes in time of the electromagnetic properties of a material have also been shown to replace spatial boundaries, supporting highly unusual wave-matter interactions in so-called time metamaterials. Here, we introduce nonreciprocity for temporal boundaries, demonstrating Faraday polarization rotation in a magnetoplasma with material properties abruptly switched in time. Our findings open new opportunities for time metamaterials, yielding new avenues for nonreciprocity with broad applicability for wave engineering.