A topological gap waveguide based on unidirectional locking of pseudo-spins

Abstract

Photonic topological insulators have been widely studied due to the robustness of energy transport via supported edge modes immune to structural disorder. In this work, a topological gap waveguide is constructed by introducing line defect into a topological photonic crystal structure and combining it with a gap waveguide structure, the design of which, therefore, combines the advantages of both topological and gap waveguides. Not only does it give high transmission efficiency but it also enables high robustness for energy transmission under structural defects and sharp bends. Our proposed topological waveguide design can be implemented with conventional semiconductor technology and integrated into optical circuits for communication systems.