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Majorana-like Zero Modes in Kekulé Distorted Sonic Lattices.
Penglin Gao1, Daniel Torrent2, Francisco Cervera3
1Department of Physics, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, ES-28916 Leganès, Madrid, Spain.
Physical Review Letters
|November 26, 2019
Summary
Researchers demonstrate topologically protected acoustic bound states in bosonic systems. These states are analogous to Majorana bound states and are robust against defects, offering new possibilities for topological acoustics.
Area of Science:
- Topological physics
- Acoustics
- Condensed matter physics
Background:
- Topological phases in bosonic systems exhibit robust boundary modes for waveguiding.
- Topologically protected defect-bound states have not been demonstrated in bosonic settings.
- The Jackiw-Rossi mechanism in superconductors binds states to vortices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate topologically bound acoustic states in a bosonic system.
- To create an acoustic analog of the Jackiw-Rossi mechanism.
- To investigate the robustness of these bound states against perturbations.
Main Methods:
- Numerical simulations of a 2D Kekulé-distorted triangular acoustic lattice.
- Experimental realization using a 3D-printed plastic matrix with a vortex defect.
- Measurement of acoustic response spectra.
Main Results:
- An acoustic mode was topologically bound to a vortex defect.
- The bound state is a bosonic analog of a Majorana bound state.
- The state is topologically protected against local perturbations and remains pinned to the Dirac frequency.
- Experimental measurements confirmed the predicted topological resonance, showing robustness despite losses.
Conclusions:
- Topologically bound acoustic states can be realized in bosonic systems.
- These states are robust analogs of Majorana bound states, offering potential for defect-immune acoustic devices.
- The study validates the acoustic analog of the Jackiw-Rossi mechanism.
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