Topological interface modes in aperiodic subwavelength resonator chains

Abstract

We consider interface modes in block disordered subwavelength resonator chains in one dimension. Based on the capacitance operator formulation, which provides a first-order approximation of the spectral properties of dimer-type block resonator systems in the subwavelength regime, we show that a two-fold topological characterization of a block disordered resonator chain is available if it is of dominated type. The topological index used for the characterization is a generalization of the Zak phase associated with one-dimensional chiral-symmetric Hamiltonians. As a manifestation of the bulk-edge correspondence principle, we prove that a localized interface mode occurs whenever the system consists of two semi-infinite chains with different topological characters. We also illustrate our results from a dynamic perspective, which provides an explicit geometric picture of the interface modes, and finally present a variety of numerical results to complement the theoretical results.