Spectral edge-to-edge topological state transfer in diamond photonic lattices

Abstract

Transfer of information between topological edge states is a robust way of spatially manipulating quantum states while preserving their coherence in lattice environments. This method is particularly efficient when the edge modes are kept within the topological gap of the lattice during the transfer. In this work we show experimentally the transfer of photonic modes between topological edge states located at opposite ends of a dimerized one-dimensional photonic lattice. We use a diamond lattice of coupled waveguides and show that the transfer is insensitive both to the presence of a high density of states in the form of a flat band at an energy close to that of the edge states, and to the presence of disorder in the hoppings. We explore dynamics in the waveguide lattice using wavelength-scan method, where different input wavelength translates into different effective waveguide length. These results open the way to the implementation of more efficient protocols based on the active driving of the hoppings.