Near-field Spin Chern Number Quantized by Real-space Topology of Optical Structures

TL;DR

This paper introduces a real-space spin Chern number for finite optical structures, linking topological properties to geometry and enabling new insights into light's topological behavior beyond traditional momentum-space analysis.

Contribution

It defines a quantized real-space spin Chern number for optical structures, connecting topology to geometry and extending topological physics into real-space analysis.

Findings

The spin Chern number equals the Euler characteristic of the structure.

The topological invariant is robust against geometric deformations.

It is independent of material properties and external excitation.

Abstract

The Chern number has been widely used to describe the topological properties of periodic structures in the momentum space. Here, we introduce a real-space spin Chern number for the optical near fields of finite-sized structures. This new spin Chern number is intrinsically quantized and equal to the structure's Euler characteristic. The relationship is robust against continuous deformation of the structure's geometry and is irrelevant to the specific material constituents or external excitation. Our work enriches topological physics by extending the concept of Chern number to the real space, opening exciting possibilities for exploring the real-space topological properties of light.