Self-induced topological transition in phononic crystals by nonlinearity management

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that nonlinearity management in phononic crystals can induce topological transitions, leading to novel edge modes and solitons, expanding the understanding of topological phases beyond linear systems.

Contribution

It introduces a method to achieve topological transitions in phononic crystals through nonlinear dynamics, revealing new edge states and solitons not present in linear regimes.

Findings

Nonlinear phononic lattices exhibit topological transitions by varying excitation amplitude.

Emergence of finite-frequency edge modes unique to nonlinear systems.

Existence of kink solitons at the topological transition point.

Abstract

A new design paradigm of topology has recently emerged to manipulate the flow of phonons. At its heart lies a topological transition to a nontrivial state with exotic properties. This framework has been limited to linear lattice dynamics so far. Here we show a topological transition in a nonlinear regime and its implication in emerging nonlinear solutions. We employ nonlinearity management such that the system consists of masses connected with two types of nonlinear springs, "stiffening" and "softening" types, alternating along the length. We show, analytically and numerically, that the lattice makes a topological transition simply by changing the excitation amplitude and invoking nonlinear dynamics. Consequently, we witness the emergence of a new family of finite-frequency edge modes, not observed in linear phononic systems. We also report the existence of kink solitons at the topological transition point. These correspond to heteroclinic orbits that form a closed curve in the phase portrait separating the two topologically-distinct regimes. These findings suggest that nonlinearity can be used as a strategic tuning knob to alter topological characteristics of phononic crystals. These also provide fresh perspectives towards understanding a new family of nonlinear solutions in light of topology.