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Realization of one-dimensional 2n-root topological states in photonic lattices

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Abstract

Square-root topological insulators recently discovered are intriguing topological phases. They possess topological properties inherited from the squared Hamiltonian and exhibit double-band structures. The mechanism of the square root was generalized to 2n-root topological insulators, giving rise to more band gaps. In this study, we describe the experimental realization of one-dimensional 2n-root topological insulators in photonic waveguide arrays using the archetypical Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model. Topological edge states with tunable numbers are clearly observed under visible light. In particular, we visualized the dynamic evolutions of the light propagation by varying the sample lengths, which further proved the localization and multiple numbers of edge states in 2n-root topological systems. The experiment, which involves constructing 2n-root topological photonic lattices in various geometric arrangements, provides a stable platform for studying topological states that exhibit a remarkable degree of flexibility and control.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fiber Laser Materials and Applied Techniques, Guangdong Engineering Technology Research and Development Center of Special Optical Fiber Materials and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China

    RuiShan Wei, QingLong Zhang, DanDan Yang, XiongJian Huang, QiWen Pan, Juan Kang, ZhongMin Yang & GuoPing Dong

  2. School of Physics and Optoelectronics, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China

    ZhongMin Yang

  3. State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China

    JianRong Qiu

Authors
  1. RuiShan Wei
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  2. QingLong Zhang
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  3. DanDan Yang
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  4. XiongJian Huang
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  5. QiWen Pan
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  6. Juan Kang
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  7. JianRong Qiu
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  8. ZhongMin Yang
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  9. GuoPing Dong
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Juan Kang or GuoPing Dong.

Additional information

This work was supported by the Key R&D Program of Guangzhou (Grant No. 202007020003), Guangzhou Basic and Applied Basic Research (Grant Nos. 202201010407, 202201010428), the Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province (Grant Nos. 2021A1515110475, 2022A1515011289, 2023A1515012666), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 62122027, 52002128, 62075063, 51772101, 51872095, 12204179, 52202004).

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Wei, R., Zhang, Q., Yang, D. et al. Realization of one-dimensional 2n-root topological states in photonic lattices. Sci. China Technol. Sci. 67, 98–104 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-022-2347-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-022-2347-4

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