Haldane Quantum Hall Effect for Light in a Dynamically Modulated Array of Resonators

Topological insulators have attracted abundant attention for a variety of reasons -- notably, the possibility for lossless energy transport through edge states `protected' against disorder. Topological effects like the Quantum Hall state can be induced through a gauge field, which is however hard to create in practice, especially for charge-neutral particles. One way to induce an effective gauge potential is through a dynamic, time-periodic modulation of the lattice confining such particles. In this way, the Haldane Quantum Hall effect was recently observed in a cold atom system. Here, we show how this same effect can be induced for light confined to a lattice of identical optical resonators, using an on-site modulation of the resonant frequencies. We further demonstrate the existence of one-directional edge states immune to back-scattering losses, and discuss the possibilities for a practical implementation, which would enable slow-light devices of unprecedented quality.

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