Photonic topological edge states in metallic and all-dielectric structures

Abstract

Topological properties play a fundamental role in many physical phenomena. One of the examples from condensed matter physics is the recently discovered, novel, nontrivial phase of matter called topological insulators. Alternatively, photonics offer a unique platform for emulation of condensed matter systems in a simple and controllable way. Recently, there has been a burst of interest in exploring topological orders with photons, with the discovery of a new class of nontrivial states in photonic topological insulators. Here, we present our recent experimental and numerical results devoted to the observation of photonic topological edge states in electromagnetic structures.