Robust and High-Capacity Phononic Communications through Topological Edge States by Discrete Degree-of-Freedom Multiplexing

Abstract

A long-term goal of phononic communication is controlled transport of elastic wave signals with improved robustness and enhanced information capacity, but existing approaches suffer from unwanted backscattering by defects and disorder that may substantially reduce the transmission rate, or even disable a data channel. This study uses the robust edge states along the interfaces between distinct topological classes to make progress. These fault-tolerant edge channels are protected jointly by both pseudospin and valley degrees of freedom, naturally providing doubled information carriers within every channel, and may serve as a building block for large-scale phononic circuits and networks.