High-Winding-Number Zero-Energy Edge States in Rhombohedral-Stacked Su-Schrieffer-Heeger Multilayers

Abstract

We study the topological properties of rhombohedral-stacked N-layer Su-Schrieffer-Heeger networks with interlayer coupling. We find that these systems exhibit $2N$-fold degenerate zero-energy edge states with winding number $W=N$, providing a direct route to high-winding-number topological phases where $W$ equals the layer number. Using effective Hamiltonian theory and Zak phase calculations, we demonstrate that the winding number scales linearly with $N$ through a layer-by-layer topological amplification mechanism. We introduce the Wigner entropy as a novel detection method for these edge states, showing that topological boundary states exhibit significantly enhanced Wigner entropy compared to bulk states. Our results establish rhombohedral stacking as a systematic approach for engineering high-winding-number topological insulators with potential applications in quantum information processing.

6 pages, 3 figures