Topological photonics: fundamental concepts, recent developments, and future directions

Abstract

Topological photonics is emerging as a new paradigm for the development of both classical and quantum photonic architectures. What makes topological photonics remarkably intriguing is the built-in protection as well as intrinsic unidirectionality of light propagation, which originates from the robustness of global topological invariants. In this Perspective, we present an intuitive and concise pedagogical overview of fundamental concepts in topological photonics. Then, we review the recent developments of the main activity areas of this field, categorized into linear, nonlinear, and quantum regimes. For each section, we discuss both current and potential future directions, as well as remaining challenges and elusive questions regarding the implementation of topological ideas in photonics systems.

References in corpus (25)

• Non-Abelian Anyons and Topological Quantum Computation
• Quantum Computing
• Photonic quantum technologies
• Photonic Analogue of Two-dimensional Topological Insulators and Helical One-Way Edge Transport in Bi-Anisotropic Metamaterials
• All-optical signal processing platforms for CMOS compatible integrated nonlinear optics
• Scheme to Achieve Silicon Topological Photonics
• Reflection-Free One-Way Edge Modes in a Gyromagnetic Photonic Crystal
• Topological Acoustics
• Analogs of quantum Hall effect edge states in photonic crystals
• Microresonator Soliton Dual-Comb Spectroscopy
• Efficient Light Funneling based on the non-Hermitian Skin Effect
• Direct observation of corner states in second-order topological photonic crystal slabs
• Photonic topological pumping through the edges of a dynamical four-dimensional quantum Hall system
• Time-reversal symmetry breaking in circuit-QED based photon lattices
• Photonic crystal nanocavity based on a topological corner state
• Chip-based photon quantum state sources using nonlinear optics
• Topological Nature of the Phonon Hall Effect
• Topologically Robust Transport of Photons in a Synthetic Gauge Field
• Low-threshold topological nanolasers based on second-order corner state
• Laser Cavity-Soliton Micro-Combs
• Quantized Nonlinear Thouless Pumping
• Quantum interference of topological states of light
• A Semiconductor Topological Photonic Ring Resonator
• Topological cavity based on slow light topological edge mode for broadband Purcell enhancement
• Biphoton entanglement of topologically-distinct modes

Cited by in corpus (13)

• Observation of topological frequency combs
• Chiral quantum optics: recent developments, and future directions
• Simulating Holographic Conformal Field Theories on Hyperbolic Lattices
• Realization of time-reversal invariant photonic topological Anderson insulators
• Optical pumping of electronic quantum Hall states with vortex light
• Chiral Flat-Band Optical Cavity with Atomically Thin Mirrors
• Multi-timescale frequency-phase matching for high-yield nonlinear photonics
• On-chip multi-timescale spatiotemporal optical synchronization
• Floquet Topological Dissipative Kerr Solitons and Incommensurate Frequency Combs
• Floquet control of interactions and edge states in a programmable quantum simulator
• Manipulating Topological Polaritons in Optomechanical Ladders
• Topological bound states in a lattice of rings with nearest-neighbour interactions
• Self-Accelerating Topological Edge States