Light cone has been known for long time, where the frequency is linearly proportional to the inverse of wave length as the consequence of the absence of interaction between light and vacuum. In this talk, I will discuss that novel light cone can be created in a metamaterial with silicon spheres residing on sites of face-center-cubic (fcc) lattice. Intriguingly the linear frequency dispersion is realized over a loop in k space, which yields a nodal-line (NL) semimetal, one of the topological states attracting significant interest recently. Exploiting the topological property of NL, one can slow light significantly, which is yearned for important applications, including telecommunication, optic storage, information processing based on light, aperture radar and so on. We show that the symmetries of fcc lattice work harmonically to support the topological NL, rendering the mechanism applicable for many other systems, such as electrons and phonons.

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Xiao Hu, "Topological nodal-line state in silicon fcc photonic crystal (Conference Presentation)," Proc. SPIE 11082, Plasmonics: Design, Materials, Fabrication, Characterization, and Applications XVII, 1108204 (Presented at SPIE Nanoscience + Engineering: August 11, 2019; Published: 9 September 2019); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2528615.6083786491001.