Photonic topological insulators with boundary states present a robust solution to mitigate structure imperfections. By alteration of the virtual boundary between trivial and topological insulators, it is possible to bypass such defects. Coupled resonator optical waveguides (CROWs) have demonstrated their utility in realizing photonic topological insulators, as they exhibit distinct topological phases and band structures. With this characteristic, we designed and experimentally validated a CROW array capable of altering its topological phase by adjusting the coupling strength. This array functions partially as a topological insulator and partially as a topologically trivial array, guiding light along the virtuous boundary between these two regions. By altering the shape of the topological insulator, we can effectively control the optical path. This approach promises practical applications, such as optical switches, dynamic light steering, optical sensing, and optical computing.

中文翻译：

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耦合控制光子拓扑环形阵列


具有边界态的光子拓扑绝缘体为减少结构缺陷提供了一种稳健的解决方案。通过改变平凡绝缘体和拓扑绝缘体之间的虚拟边界，可以绕过此类缺陷。耦合谐振器光波导 （CROW） 已经证明了它们在实现光子拓扑绝缘体方面的实用性，因为它们表现出不同的拓扑相位和能带结构。利用这一特性，我们设计并实验验证了一种能够通过调整耦合强度来改变其拓扑相位的 CROW 阵列。这个阵列部分用作拓扑绝缘体，部分用作拓扑琐碎的阵列，沿着这两个区域之间的良性边界引导光明。通过改变拓扑绝缘体的形状，我们可以有效地控制光路。这种方法有望实现实际应用，例如光开关、动态光控制、光学传感和光计算。