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Notes on photonic topological insulators and scattering-protected edge states - a brief introduction

The topic of photonic topological insulators and scattering-protected edge states bridges concepts from condensed matter physics and electromagnetics, and necessitates understanding the Berry potential and related concepts. These notes are an attempt at a moderately self-contained introduction to the topic, including two detailed photonic examples drawn from the literature. We made these notes in the process of trying to understand this topic ourselves, and we are posting this material in the spirit of helping other researchers start to understand this material. We claim no novelty in the material or its presentation.