Simulation and detection of photonic Chern insulators in a one-dimensional circuit-QED lattice

Abstract

We introduce a simple method to realize and detect photonic topological Chern insulators with one-dimensional circiut quantum electrodynamics arrays. By periodically modulating the couplings of the array, we show that this one-dimensional model can be mapped into a two-dimensional Chern insulator model. In addition to allowing the study of photonic Chern insulators, this approach also provides a natural platform to realise experimentally Laughlin's pumping argument. Based on scattering theory of topological insulators and input-output formalism, we show that the photonic edge state can be probed directly and the topological invariant can be detected from the winding number of the reflection coefficient phase.