Generating arbitrary topological windings of a non-Hermitian band

Abstract

Controlling the topology of a system provides a route to develop devices that are robust against defects. Whereas earlier developments of topological band theory focused on Hermitian (closed) systems, recent efforts have been toward non-Hermitian (open) systems. K. Wang et al. report on the measurement and control of topologically nontrivial windings of a non-Hermitian energy band. By implementing non-Hermitian lattice Hamiltonians along a frequency synthetic dimension formed by optical frequency modes in a modulated ring-resonator, they directly visualized the nontrivial topological band winding and showed that the winding can be controlled. Such control provides a route for the experimental synthesis, characterization, and control of topologically nontrivial phases in open physical systems.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Mar 19, 2021
Source ID
10.1126/science.abf6568

Entities

People

  • Avik Dutt
  • Casey Wojcik
  • Jelena Vučković
  • Kai Wang
  • Ki Youl Yang
  • Shanhui Fan

Organizations

  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
  • Stanford University
  • United States Department of Defense

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Quantum Dot Semiconductor Device Photonics and Graphene Optoelectronic Materials and THz Physics.