Photonic quadrupole topological insulator using orbital-induced synthetic flux

Julian Schulz (), Jiho Noh (), Wladimir A. Benalcazar (), Gaurav Bahl () and Georg von Freymann ()
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Julian Schulz: TU Kaiserslautern
Jiho Noh: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Wladimir A. Benalcazar: Princeton University
Gaurav Bahl: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Georg von Freymann: TU Kaiserslautern

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-6

Abstract: Abstract The rich physical properties of multiatomic crystals are determined, to a significant extent, by the underlying geometry and connectivity of atomic orbitals. The mixing of orbitals with distinct parity representations, such as s and p orbitals, has been shown to be useful for generating systems that require alternating phase patterns, as with the sign of couplings within a lattice. Here we show that by breaking the symmetries of such mixed-orbital lattices, it is possible to generate synthetic magnetic flux threading the lattice. We use this insight to experimentally demonstrate quadrupole topological insulators in two-dimensional photonic lattices, leveraging both s and p orbital-type modes. We confirm the nontrivial quadrupole topology by observing the presence of protected zero-dimensional states, which are spatially confined to the corners, and by confirming that these states sit at mid-gap. Our approach is also applicable to a broader range of time-reversal-invariant synthetic materials that do not allow for tailored connectivity, and in which synthetic fluxes are essential.

Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-33894-6

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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33894-6

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