Topological physics with photons
by
Seminar Room
Larak
In physics we usually classify systems in terms of their symmetries. However, in 1980’s physicists realized that some physical properties are entirely dictated by a system’s topology. The best known examples are quantum Hall effects in electronic systems, where insensitivity to local perturbations is manifested as conductance through robust chiral edge states.
In this talk, I describe how similar physics can be implemented with photons; ranging from RF to optical frequencies. In particular, I report on the first observation of topological photonic edge state using the silicon-on-insulator technology and recent measurement of relevant topological invariants. Furthermore, I show that the addition of optical nonlinearity to these systems provide a platform to implement fractional quantum Hall states of photons, in the context of quantum simulation. More generally, I discuss that the application of these ideas could lead to development of new on-chip optical devices, with built-in protection, for both quantum and classical information processing.