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Multimode one-way waveguides of large Chern numbers.
Scott A Skirlo1, Ling Lu1, Marin Soljačić1
1Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|September 27, 2014
Summary
Researchers predict novel quantum anomalous Hall phases in photonic crystals, achieving large Chern numbers (2, 3, and 4). This breakthrough enables multimode one-way waveguides and tunable power splitters, realizable at microwave frequencies.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Topological Photonics
- Quantum Hall Effect
Background:
- Current quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) phase realizations are limited to Chern number one in electronic and photonic systems.
- In photonics, Chern number one corresponds to single-mode one-way edge states.
Purpose of the Study:
- To predict and explore novel topological phases in photonic crystals with large Chern numbers.
- To investigate the potential for multimode one-way waveguides and their applications.
Main Methods:
- Simultaneous gapping of multiple Dirac and quadratic points in photonic crystal designs.
- Theoretical prediction and characterization of topological phases.
- Proposal of a continuously tunable power splitter based on multimode waveguides.
Main Results:
- Prediction of QAH phases with large Chern numbers (2, 3, and 4) in photonic crystals.
- Demonstration of the feasibility of gapping multiple band touching points to achieve higher-order topological phases.
- Successful design of a tunable power splitter utilizing multimode one-way waveguides.
Conclusions:
- Higher-order topological phases with large Chern numbers are achievable in photonic systems.
- These findings open avenues for advanced photonic devices like multimode power splitters.
- The proposed designs are experimentally viable at microwave frequencies.
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