Broadband Dipole Absorption in Dispersive Photonic Time Crystals

Photonic media modulated periodically in time, termed photonic time crystals (PTCs), have attracted considerable attention for their ability to open momentum bandgaps hosting amplifying modes. These momentum gaps, however, generally appear only at the system's parametric resonance condition which constrain many features derived from amplification to a narrow frequency band. Moreover, they are accompanied by exceptional points (EPs) that render their analysis more intricate. Here, we show that a careful consideration of dispersion and absorption can overcome these issues. By investigating the dissipated power of a point-dipole embedded in a dispersive and absorptive PTC, we unveil that temporal modulation enables the conversion of dipole emission into dipole absorption within a broadband frequency window free of EPs. We demonstrate that this effect is general and occurs from weak modulation strengths to low modulation frequencies, and can be achieved for various material platforms. Moreover, we show the possibility of both broadband inhibition and large increase of dissipated power, depending on the modulated parameter.