Two-dimensional topological photonics

Originating from the studies of two-dimensional condensed-matter states, the concept of topological order has recently been expanded to other fields of physics and engineering, particularly optics and photonics. Topological photonic structures have already overturned some of the traditional views on...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNature photonics Vol. 11; no. 12; pp. 763 - 773
Main Authors Khanikaev, Alexander B., Shvets, Gennady
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.12.2017
Nature Publishing Group
Subjects
639/624/399
639/766/1130/2799
Applied and Technical Physics
Condensed matter physics
Delay lines
Devices
Optics
Photonics
Physics
Physics and Astronomy
Propagation
Quantum Physics
Review Article
Switches
Wave propagation
Wave reflection
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Summary:Originating from the studies of two-dimensional condensed-matter states, the concept of topological order has recently been expanded to other fields of physics and engineering, particularly optics and photonics. Topological photonic structures have already overturned some of the traditional views on wave propagation and manipulation. The application of topological concepts to guided wave propagation has enabled novel photonic devices, such as reflection-free sharply bent waveguides, robust delay lines, spin-polarized switches and non-reciprocal devices. Discrete degrees of freedom, widely used in condensed-matter physics, such as spin and valley, are now entering the realm of photonics. In this Review, we summarize the latest advances in this highly dynamic field, with special emphasis on the experimental work on two-dimensional photonic topological structures. Topological photonic structures offer unique features such as reflection-free and non-reciprocal devices. This Review highlights the experimental progress in the relatively new field of photonic topology.
ISSN:1749-4885
1749-4893
DOI:10.1038/s41566-017-0048-5