Experimental demonstration of the robust edge states in a split-ring-resonator chain

One of the fascinating topological phenomena is the edge state in one-dimensional system. In this work, the topological photonics in the dimer chains composed by the split ring resonators are revealed based on the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model. The topologically protected photonic edge state is observed directly with the in situ measurements of the local density of states in the topological nontrivial chain. Moreover, we experimentally demonstrate that the edge state localized at both ends is robust against a varied of perturbations, such as losses and disorder. Our results not only provide a versatile platform to study the topological physics in photonics but also may have potential applications in the robust power transfer.