Canonical scattering problem in topological metamaterials: Valley-Hall modes through a bend

Abstract

We study the amount of backscattering of Valley Hall modes in a classical topological insulator. In reciprocal systems, the conservation of the valley index has been argued to be at the root of the high-transmission of Valley Hall modes, observed in many experimental realisations. Here, we reconsider this hypothesis by quantitatively analysing the canonical scattering problem of interface Valley Hall modes impinging on sharp bends which may or may not conserve the valley index. We consider a tight binding model of graphene ribbons with an interface and compute the reflection and transmission coefficients using a transfer matrix formalism. We find that, in all configurations considered, the transmission of Valley Hall modes is close to being maximal, even in cases where the valley index is not conserved. Hence there appears to be no correlation between valley conservation and good transmission. Our results serve as a reference case for the design of Valley Hall type metamaterial.