# Dynamically manipulating topological physics and edge modes in a single degenerate optical cavity

## TL;DR

This paper presents a method to simulate and observe topological phases and edge states within a single degenerate optical cavity, enabling exploration of photonic topological phenomena in a compact setup.

## Contribution

It introduces a scheme to realize topological physics and edge modes in a single cavity by mapping modes to lattice sites and creating sharp boundaries for open boundary conditions.

## Key findings

- Successfully simulated SSH and Floquet topological phases in a single cavity.
- Edge states can be detected via the spectrum of the output cavity field.
- The scheme enables exploration of exotic photonic topological phases.

## Abstract

We propose a scheme to simulate topological physics within a single degenerate cavity, whose modes are mapped to lattice sites. A crucial ingredient of the scheme is to construct a sharp boundary so that the open boundary condition can be implemented for this effective lattice system. In doing so, the topological properties of the system can manifest themselves on the edge states, which can be probed from the spectrum of an output cavity field. We demonstrate this with two examples: a static Su-Schrieffer-Heeger chain and a periodically driven Floquet topological insulator. Our work opens up new avenues to explore exotic photonic topological phases inside a single optical cavity.