2024/06/15 by Han-Rong Xia, Jia-Zheng Li, Xia, Han-Rong +5
Physics and Astronomy · #Atomic and Subatomic Physics Research #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #FOS: Physical sciences #Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall) #Quantum optics and atomic interactions
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2406.10637
openalex publication_date 2024/06/15 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Higher-order topological insulators, as a novel family of topological phases, are a hot frontier in condensed matter physics due to their adherence to unconventional bulk-boundary correspondence. A three-dimensional second-order topological insulator can support one-dimensional modes along its hinges (dubbed as hinge states). Here, we present a simple and direct method to construct chiral hinge modes based on a Chern-insulator stack. We analyze the existence of the hinge modes through the nontrivial quadrupole indices, and then design a photonic crystal to realize the specific flowing pattern of the hinge mode in our model. The experimental results align well with full-wave simulations, clearly demonstrating the existence of chiral hinge states. We also verify the robustness of these hinge states against defects in our photonic system.