Topology meets open systems: Researchers demonstrate stable light signal propagation along laser-written waveguide edges despite environmental interaction. (IMAGE)
Caption
Figure: Topology meets open systems: Topology is concerned with the invariable properties of systems – as shown schematically in the yellow figure above left with the donut-like structure, whose number of holes, namely exact one hole, always remains the same. On the other handy, parity-time symmetry – illustrated by the motion of a butterfly that looks the same if reversed and mirrored – plays an important role in the stability of open systems. Combining these two concepts has long been a problem for researchers, as they seemed incompatible. However, researchers could now show that the movement of a light signal (yellow dots and peak at the end of the red marker) moves robustly and stably along the edge of a laser-written waveguide despite interacts with its environment (bottom image) (credit: Alexander Fritzsche/University of Rostock).
Credit
Alexander Fritzsche/University of Rostock
Usage Restrictions
none
License
Original content