Topologically protected bound modes in non-neighboring hexagonal lattices

Abstract

In the last decade, the study of wave localization and guiding has gained a renewed interest thanks to the introduction of the concept of topological protection. Originally developed in the field of quantum mechanics, topological protection has successively inspired the search for its analogue in other physical domains, including elasticity. In this context, periodic hexagonal lattices have been proposed as ideal candidates to realize these concepts. In this work, we explore the dynamic behavior of discrete hexagonal lattices with third nearest neighbor connections. First, the formation and transition of multiple Dirac cones above a critical value of the relative stiffness between the first and third nearest neighbor connections is derived. Then, the formation of extremely localized modes (i.e., bound modes) at the interface between regions formed by lattices which are inverted copies of each other is demonstrated. Our results show that this localization derives from a type of interface satisfying a point reflection symmetry for which the considered chain decouples into two identical copies at the high symmetry point of the Brillouin zone. Our findings open novel avenues for topological waveguiding and confinement with potential applications in surface acoustic wave devices.