Microwave resonator lattices for topological photonics [Invited]

We present a microwave experimental setup emulating tight-binding systems that is now widely used in the realm of topological photonics. A thorough description of the experimental building blocks is presented, showing the advantages and the limits of this platform. Various experimental realizations are then described, ranging from the selective enhancement of a defect state in a non-Hermitian Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) chain, to the generation of giant pseudo-magnetic fields in deformed honeycomb lattices. Introducing nonlinear losses, the interplay between nonlinearity and topological protection can be engineered to realize a nonlinearly functionalized topological mode with promising applications in receiver protection. (c) 2021 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement

Automated summary

The experimental setup emulates tight-binding systems, widely used in topological photonics. The platform's advantages and limitations are thoroughly described, along with various experimental realizations like selectively enhancing a defect state in a non-Hermitian chain and generating giant pseudo-magnetic fields in deformed honeycomb lattices. The interplay between nonlinearity and topological protection can be engineered to create a nonlinearly functionalized topological mode with potential applications in receiver protection.