Abstract

Topological protection for lasers Ideas based on topology, initially developed in mathematics to describe the properties of geometric space under deformations, are now finding application in materials, electronics, and optics. The main driver is topological protection, a property that provides stability to a system even in the presence of defects. Harari et al. outline a theoretical proposal that carries such ideas over to geometrically designed laser cavities. The lasing mode is confined to the topological edge state of the cavity structure. Bandres et al. implemented those ideas to fabricate a topological insulator laser with an array of ring resonators. The results demonstrate a powerful platform for developing new laser systems. Science , this issue p. eaar4003 , p. eaar4005

Keywords

Lasing thresholdTopological insulatorTopology (electrical circuits)PhotonicsRobustness (evolution)LaserScatteringPhysicsOptoelectronicsCondensed matter physicsQuantum mechanicsMathematicsChemistry

Affiliated Institutions

Related Publications

Topological photonics

Tomoki Ozawa , Hannah M. Price , A. Amo +8 more

Topological photonics is a rapidly emerging field of research in which\ngeometrical and topological ideas are exploited to design and control the\nbehavior of light. Drawing ins...

2019 Reviews of Modern Physics 3290 citations

Publication Info

Year
2018
Type
article
Volume
359
Issue
6381
Citations
1287
Access
Closed

External Links

View on DOI.org

Social Impact

Altmetric
PlumX Metrics

Social media, news, blog, policy document mentions

Citation Metrics

1287
OpenAlex

Cite This

Miguel A. Bandres, Steffen Wittek, Gal Harari et al. (2018). Topological insulator laser: Experiments. Science , 359 (6381) . https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aar4005

Identifiers

DOI
10.1126/science.aar4005