Programmable photonic topological insulators

In the past decade, the field of topological photonics has gained prominence exhibiting consequential effects in quantum information science, lasing, and large-scale integrated photonics. Many of these topological systems exhibit protected states, enabling robust travel along their edges without being affected by defects or disorder. Nonetheless, conventional topological structures often lack the flexibility for implementing different topological models and for tunability post-fabrication. Here we present a method to implement magnetic-like Hamiltonians supporting topologically protected edge modes on a general-purpose programmable silicon photonic mesh of interferometers. By reconfiguring the lattice onto a two-dimensional mesh of ring resonators with carefully tuned couplings, we show robust edge state transport even in the presence of manufacturing tolerance defects. We showcase the system’s reconfigurability by demonstrating topological insulator lattices of different sizes and shapes and introduce edge and bulk defects to underscore the robustness of the photonic edge states. Our study paves the way for the implementation of photonic topological insulators on general-purpose programmable photonics platforms.