# Dynamic defects in photonic Floquet topological insulators

## TL;DR

This paper investigates the robustness of edge modes in photonic Floquet topological insulators against time-dependent defects, finding that dynamic defects do not disrupt chiral edge transport.

## Contribution

It demonstrates that dynamic, time-varying defects do not compromise the robustness of edge states in Floquet topological insulators, extending understanding of defect resilience.

## Key findings

- Dynamic defects do not destroy chiral edge currents.
- Numerical simulations confirm robustness against strong temporal modulation.
- Edge transport remains stable despite time-dependent coupling defects.

## Abstract

Edge modes in topological insulators are known to be robust against defects. We investigate if this also holds true when the defect is not static, but varies in time. We study the influence of defects with time-dependent coupling on the robustness of the transport along the edge in a Floquet system of helically curved waveguides. Waveguide arrays are fabricated via direct laser writing in a negative tone photoresist. We find that single dynamic defects do not destroy the chiral edge current, even when the temporal modulation is strong. Quantitative numerical simulation of the intensity in the bulk and edge waveguides confirms our observation.