Topological phase transitions and chiral inelastic transport induced by the squeezing of light

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how light squeezing can induce topological states with protected edge modes, enabling chiral elastic and inelastic photon transport in bosonic systems, revealing a new class of topological phases.

Contribution

It introduces a novel mechanism for topological states driven by light squeezing, distinct from fermionic systems, and explores their realization in photonic and superconducting platforms.

Findings

Squeezing induces topological states with non-trivial Chern numbers.

Protected chiral edge modes enable elastic and inelastic photon transport.

Proposes experimental implementations in photonic crystals and superconducting circuits.

Abstract

We show how the squeezing of light can lead to the formation of topological states. Such states are characterized by non-trivial Chern numbers, and exhibit protected edge modes which give rise to chiral elastic and inelastic photon transport. These topological bosonic states are not equivalent to their fermionic (topological superconductor) counterparts and cannot be mapped by a local transformation onto topological states found in particle-conserving models. They thus represent a new type of topological system. We study this physics in detail in the case of a Kagome lattice model, and discuss possible realizations using nonlinear photonic crystals or superconducting circuits.