Wavelength division multiplexing based on the coupling effect of helical edge states in two-dimensional dielectric photonic crystals.

Photonic topological insulators with topologically protected edge states featuring one-way, robustness and backscattering-immunity possess extraordinary abilities to steer and manipulate light. In this work, we construct a topological heterostructure (TH) consisting of a domain of nontrivial pseudospin-type topological photonic crystals (PCs) sandwiched between two domains of trivial PCs based on two-dimensional all-dielectric core-shell PCs in triangle lattice. We consider three THs with different number of layers in the middle nontrivial domain (i.e., one-layer, two-layer, three-layer) and demonstrate that the projected band diagrams of the three THs host interesting topological waveguide states (TWSs) with properties of one-way, large-area, broad-bandwidth and robustness due to coupling effect of the helical edge states associated with the two domain-wall interfaces. Moreover, taking advantage of the tunable bandgap between the TWSs by the layer number of the middle domain due to the coupling effect, a topological Y-splitter with functionality of wavelength division multiplexing is explicitly demonstrated exploiting the unique feature of the dispersion curves of TWSs in the three THs. Our work not only offers a new method to realize pseudospin-polarized large-area TWSs with tunable mode-width, but also could provide new opportunities for practical applications in on-chip multifunctional (i.e., wavelength division multiplexing) photonic devices with topological protection and information processing with pseudospin-dependent transport.

Quadrupole topological phases and filling anomaly in all-dielectric Lieb lattice photonic crystals.

While higher-order photonic topological corner states typically are created in systems with nontrivial bulk dipole polarization, they could also be created in systems with vanishing dipole polarization but with nontrivial quadrupole topology, which though is less explored. In this work, we show that simple all-dielectric photonic crystals in the Lieb lattice can host a topologically nontrivial quadrupole bandgap. Through a combination of symmetry analysis of the eigenmodes and explicit calculations of the Wannier bands and their polarization using the Wilson loop method, we demonstrate that the Lieb photonic crystals can have a bandgap with vanishing dipole polarization but with nontrivial quadrupole topology. The nontrivial bulk quadrupole moment could result in edge-localized polarization and topological corner states in systems with open edges. Interestingly, the indices of the corner states show an unusual "3+1" pattern compared to previously known "2+2" pattern, and this new pattern leads to unusual filling anomaly when the corner states are filled. Our work could not only deepen our understanding about quadrupole topology in simple all-dielectric photonic crystals but could also offer new opportunities for practical applications in integrated photonic devices.

Coexistence of large-area topological pseudospin and valley states in a tri-band heterostructure system.

The rapid development of topological photonics has significantly revolutionized our comprehension of electromagnetic wave manipulation in recent decades. Recent research exploiting large-area topological states inserts an additional gapless PC structure between topologically trivial and nontrivial PCs, effectively introducing the mode width degree of freedom. Nevertheless, these heterostructures mainly support only single-type waveguide states operating within a single frequency band. To address these limitations, we propose a novel, to the best of our knowledge, tri-band three-layer heterostructure system, supporting both large-area pseudospin- and valley-locked states. The system showcases tunable mode widths with different operational bandwidths. Moreover, the heterostructures exhibit inherent topological characteristics and reflection-free interfacing, which are verified in the well-designed Z-shaped channels. The proposed heterostructure system can be used to design multi-band multi-functional high-flexibility topological devices, providing great advantages for enlarging the on-chip integrated communication systems.

The Transition from Unfolded to Folded G-Quadruplex DNA Analyzed and Interpreted by Two-Dimensional Infrared Spectroscopy.

A class of DNA folds/structures known collectively as G-quadruplexes (G4) commonly forms in guanine-rich areas of genomes. G4-DNA is thought to have a functional role in the regulation of gene transcription and telomerase-mediated telomere maintenance and, therefore, is a target for drugs. The details of the molecular interactions that cause stacking of the guanine-tetrads are not well-understood, which limits a rational approach to the drugability of G4 sequences. To explore these interactions, we employed electron-vibration-vibration two-dimensional infrared (EVV 2DIR) spectroscopy to measure extended vibrational coupling spectra for a parallel-stranded G4-DNA formed by the Myc2345 nucleotide sequence. We also tracked the structural changes associated with G4-folding as a function of K+-ion concentration. To classify the structural elements that the folding process generates in terms of vibrational coupling characteristics, we used quantum-chemical calculations utilizing density functional theory to predict the coupling spectra associated with given structures, which are compared against the experimental data. Overall, 102 coupling peaks are experimentally identified and followed during the folding process. Several phenomena are noted and associated with formation of the folded form. This includes frequency shifting, changes in cross-peak intensity, and the appearance of new coupling peaks. We used these observations to propose a folding sequence for this particular type of G4 under our experimental conditions. Overall, the combination of experimental 2DIR data and DFT calculations suggests that guanine-quartets may already be present before the addition of K+-ions, but that these quartets are unstacked until K+-ions are added, at which point the full G4 structure is formed.

A mobile APP-based, customizable automated device for self-administered olfactory testing and an implementation of smell identification test.

Olfactory tests are used for the evaluation of ability to detect and identify common odors in humans psychophysically. Olfactory tests are currently administered by professionals with a set of given odorants. Manual administration of such tests can be labor and cost intensive and data collected as such are confounded with experimental variables, which adds personnel costs and introduces potential errors and data variability. For large-scale and longitudinal studies, manually recorded data must be collected and compiled from multiple sites. It is difficult to standardize the way data are collected and recorded. There is a need for a computerized smell test system for psychophysical and clinical applications. A mobile digital olfactory testing system (DOTS) was developed, consisting of an odor delivery system (DOTS-ODD) and a mobile application program (DOTS-APP) connected wirelessly. The University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test was implemented in DOTS and compared to its commercial product on a cohort of 80 normosmic subjects and a clinical cohort of 12 Parkinson's disease patients. A test-retest was conducted on 29 subjects of the normal cohort. The smell identification scores obtained from the DOTS and standard UPSIT commercial test are highly correlated (r = 0.714, P < 0.001), and test-retest reliability coefficient was 0.807 (r = 0.807, P < 0.001). The DOTS is customizable and mobile compatible, which allows for the implementation of standardized olfactory tests and the customization of investigators' experimental paradigms. The DOTS-APP on mobile devices offers capabilities for a broad range of on-site, online, or remote clinical and scientific chemosensory applications.

Chiral photonic topological states in Penrose quasicrystals.

Electromagnetic topological edge states typically are created in photonic systems with crystalline symmetry and these states emerge because of the topological feature of bulk Bloch bands in momentum space according to the bulk-edge correspondence principle. In this work, we demonstrate the existence of chiral topological electromagnetic edge states in Penrose-tiled photonic quasicrystals made of magneto-optical materials, without relying on the concept of bulk Bloch bands in momentum space. Despite the absence of bulk Bloch bands, which naturally defiles the conventional definition of topological invariants in momentum space characterizing these states, such as the Chern number, we show that some bandgaps in these photonic quasicrystals still could host unidirectional topological electromagnetic edge states immune to backscattering in both cylinders-in-air and holes-in-slab configurations. Employing a real-space topological invariant based on the Bott index, our calculations reveal that the bandgaps hosting these chiral topological edge states possess a nontrivial Bott index of ±1, depending on the direction of the external magnetic field. Our work opens the door to the study of topological states in photonic quasicrystals.

Hundreds-Dollar-Level Multiplex Integrated RT-qPCR Quantitative System for Field Detection.

The COVID-19 pandemic poses a threat to global health. Due to its high sensitivity, specificity, and stability, real-time fluorescence quantitative (real-time PCR) detection has become the most extensively used approach for diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. According to a report from the World Health Organization, emerging and underdeveloped nations lack nucleic acid detection kits and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) instruments for molecular biological detection. In addition, sending samples to a laboratory for testing may result in considerable delays between sampling and diagnosis, which is not favorable to the timely prevention and control of new crown outbreaks. Concurrently, there is an urgent demand for accurate PCR devices that do not require a laboratory setting, are more portable, and are capable of completing testing on-site. Hence, we report on HDLRT-qPCR, a new, low-cost, multiplexed real-time fluorescence detection apparatus that we have developed for on-site testing investigations of diverse diseases in developing nations. This apparatus can complete on-site testing rapidly and sensitively. The entire cost of this instrument does not exceed USD 760. In order to demonstrate the applicability of our PCR instrument, we conducted testing that revealed that we achieved gradient amplification and melting curves comparable to those of commercially available equipment. Good consistency characterized the testing outcomes. The successful detection of target genes demonstrates the reliability of our inexpensive PCR diagnostic technique. With this apparatus, there is no need to transport samples to a central laboratory; instead, we conduct testing at the sampling site. This saves time on transportation, substantially accelerates overall testing speed, and provides results within 40 min.

Amplitude Reordering Accelerates the Adaptive Variational Quantum Eigensolver Algorithms.

The variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) algorithm can simulate the chemical systems such as molecules in the noisy-intermediate-scale quantum devices and shows promising applications in quantum chemistry simulations. The accuracy and computational cost of the VQE simulations are determined by the underlying ansatz. Therefore, the most important issue is to generate a compact and accurate ansatz, which requires a shallower parametric quantum circuit and can achieve an acceptable accuracy. The newly developed adaptive algorithms (AAs) such as the adaptive derivative-assembled pseudo-Trotter VQE (ADAPT-VQE) can solve this issue via generating compact and accurate ansatzes. However, these AAs show very low computational efficiency because they require a large number of additional measurements. Here we propose an amplitude reordering (AR) strategy to accelerate the promising but expensive AAs by adding operators in a "batched" fashion in a way that their order is still quasi-optimal. We first introduce the AR method into ADAPT-VQE and build the AR-ADAPT-VQE algorithm. We then endow the energy-sorting VQE (ES-VQE) algorithm with the adaptive feature and introduce the AR into AES-VQE to form the AR-AES-VQE algorithm. To demonstrate the performance of these algorithms, we calculate the dissociation curves of three small molecules, LiH, linear BeH2, and linear H6, by using (AR-)ADAPT-VQE and (AR-)AES-VQE algorithms. It is found that all of the AR-equipped AAs (AR-AAs) can significantly reduce the number of iterations and subsequently accelerate the calculations with a speedup of up to more than ten times without the obvious loss of accuracy. The final ansatz generated by the AR-AAs not only avoids extra circuit depth but also maintains the computational accuracy; sometimes the AR-AAs even outperforms their original counterparts.

Bound valley edge states in the continuum.

Topological valley photonics provides a unique way to manipulate the flow of light. In general, valley edge states that exhibit unidirectional propagation and are immune to defects and disorders could be realized at the interface between two valley photonic crystals with opposite valley Chern numbers. Herein, by merging the physics of valley edge states and bound states in the continuum, we propose and numerically demonstrate a novel, to the best of our knowledge, concept of edge states termed bound valley edge states in the continuum, which enjoys the topological features of valley edge states, such as, unidirectional propagation and immunity to disorders, but are formed at the interface between air and a single valley photonic crystal. Our results not only provide an effective way to reduce the size of valley photonic structures but also facilitate new applications where the proposed concept of bound valley edge states in the continuum could be exploited for optical sensing and unidirectional waveguiding.

Reprogrammable plasmonic topological insulators with ultrafast control.

Topological photonics has revolutionized our understanding of light propagation, providing a robust way to manipulate light. So far, most of studies in this field are focused on designing a static photonic structure. Developing a dynamic photonic topological platform to switch multiple topological functionalities at ultrafast speed is still a great challenge. Here we theoretically propose and experimentally demonstrate a reprogrammable plasmonic topological insulator, where the topological propagation route can be dynamically changed at nanosecond-level switching time, leading to an experimental demonstration of ultrafast multi-channel optical analog-digital converter. Due to the innovative use of electric switches to implement the programmability of plasmonic topological insulator, each unit cell can be encoded by dynamically controlling its digital plasmonic states while keeping its geometry and material parameters unchanged. Our reprogrammable topological plasmonic platform is fabricated by the printed circuit board technology, making it much more compatible with integrated photoelectric systems. Furthermore, due to its flexible programmability, many photonic topological functionalities can be integrated into this versatile topological platform.

Topological photonic crystal fibers based on second-order corner modes.

Photonic crystal fibers represent one of the most active research fields in modern fiber optics. The recent advancements in topological photonics have inspired new fiber concepts and designs. Here, we demonstrate a new, to the best of our knowledge, type of topological photonic crystal fiber based on second-order photonic corner modes from the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model. Different from previous works where the in-plane properties at kz=0 have been mainly studied, we find that in the fiber configuration of kz>0, a topological bandgap exists only when the propagation constant kz along the fiber axis is larger than a certain threshold and the emergent topological bandgap at large kz hosts two sets of corner fiber modes. We further investigate the propagation diagrams, propose a convenient way to tune the frequencies of the corner fiber modes within the topological bandgap, and envisage multi-frequency and multi-channel transmission capabilities of this new type of fiber. Our work will not only have practical importance, but could also open a new area for fiber exploration where many existing higher-order topological photonic modes could bring exciting new opportunities for fiber designs and applications.

Multiplexing-oriented plasmon-MoS2 hybrid metasurfaces driven by nonlinear quasi bound states in the continuum.

Rapid progress in nonlinear plasmonic metasurfaces enabled many novel optical characteristics for metasurfaces, with potential applications in frequency metrology [Zimmermann et al. Opt. Lett. 29:310 (2004)], timing characterization [Singh et al. Laser Photonics Rev. 14:1 (2020)] and quantum information [Kues et al. Nature. 546:622 (2017)]. However, the spectrum of nonlinear optical response was typically determined from the linear optical resonance. In this work, a wavelength-multiplexed nonlinear plasmon-MoS2 hybrid metasurface with suppression phenomenon was proposed, where multiple nonlinear signals could to be simultaneously processed and optionally tuned. A clear physical picture to depict the nonlinear plasmonic bound states in the continuum (BICs) was presented, from the perspective of both classical and quantum approaches. Particularly, beyond the ordinary plasmon-polariton effect, we numerically demonstrated a giant BIC-inspired second-order nonlinear susceptibility 10-5m/V of MoS2 in the infrared band. The novelty in our study lies in the presence of a quantum oscillator that can be adopted to both suppress and enhance the nonlinear quasi BICs. This selectable nonlinear BIC-based suppression and enhancement effect can optionally block undesired modes, resulting in narrower linewidth as well as smaller quantum decay rates, which is also promising in slow-light-associated technologies.

Topological valley plasmon transport in bilayer graphene metasurfaces for sensing applications.

Topologically protected plasmonic modes located inside topological bandgaps are attracting increasing attention, chiefly due to their robustness against disorder-induced backscattering. Here, we introduce a bilayer graphene metasurface that possesses plasmonic topological valley interface modes when the mirror symmetry of the metasurface is broken by horizontally shifting the lattice of holes of the top layer of the two freestanding graphene layers in opposite directions. In this configuration, light propagation along the domain-wall interface of the bilayer graphene metasurface shows unidirectional features. Moreover, we have designed a molecular sensor based on the topological properties of this metasurface using the fact that the Fermi energy of graphene varies upon chemical doping. This effect induces strong variation of the transmission of the topological guided modes, which can be employed as the underlying working principle of gas sensing devices. Our work opens up new ways of developing robust integrated plasmonic devices for molecular sensing.

Local orbital-angular-momentum dependent surface states with topological protection.

Chiral surface states along the zigzag edge of a valley photonic crystal in the honeycomb lattice are demonstrated. By decomposing the local fields into orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes, we find that the chiral surface states present OAM-dependent unidirectional propagation characteristics. Particularly, the propagation directivities of the surface states are quantified by the local OAM decomposition and are found to depend on the chiralities of both the source and surface states. These findings allow for the engineering control of the unidirectional propagation of electromagnetic energy without requiring an ancillary cladding layer. Furthermore, we examine the propagation of the chiral surface states against sharp bends. It turns out that although only certain states successfully pass through the bend, the unidirectional propagation is well maintained due to the topology of the structure.

Four-wave mixing of topological edge plasmons in graphene metasurfaces.

We study topologically protected four-wave mixing (FWM) interactions in a plasmonic metasurface consisting of a periodic array of nanoholes in a graphene sheet, which exhibits a wide topological bandgap at terahertz frequencies upon the breaking of time reversal symmetry by a static magnetic field. We demonstrate that due to the significant nonlinearity enhancement and large life time of graphene plasmons in specific configurations, a net gain of FWM interaction of plasmonic edge states located in the topological bandgap can be achieved with a pump power of less than 10 nW. In particular, we find that the effective nonlinear edge-waveguide coefficient is about γ ≃ 1.1 × 1013 W-1 m-1, i.e., more than 10 orders of magnitude larger than that of commonly used, highly nonlinear silicon photonic nanowires. These findings could pave a new way for developing ultralow-power-consumption, highly integrated, and robust active photonic systems at deep-subwavelength scale for applications in quantum communications and information processing.

First-principle calculation of Chern number in gyrotropic photonic crystals.

As an important figure of merit for characterizing the quantized collective behaviors of the wavefunction, Chern number is the topological invariant of quantum Hall insulators. Chern number also identifies the topological properties of the photonic topological insulators (PTIs), thus it is of crucial importance in PTI design. In this paper, we develop a first principle computatioal method for the Chern number of 2D gyrotropic photonic crystals (PCs), starting from the Maxwell's equations. Firstly, we solve the Hermitian generalized eigenvalue equation reformulated from the Maxwell's equations by using the full-wave finite-difference frequency-domain (FDFD) method. Then the Chern number is obtained by calculating the integral of Berry curvature over the first Brillouin zone. Numerical examples of both transverse-electric (TE) and transverse-magnetic (TM) modes are demonstrated, where convergent Chern numbers can be obtained using rather coarse grids, thus validating the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method.

Quantum Slow Relaxation and Metastability due to Dynamical Constraints.

One of the general mechanisms that give rise to the slow cooperative relaxation characteristic of classical glasses is the presence of kinetic constraints in the dynamics. Here we show that dynamical constraints can similarly lead to slow thermalization and metastability in translationally invariant quantum many-body systems. We illustrate this general idea by considering two simple models: (i) a one-dimensional quantum analogue to classical constrained lattice gases where excitation hopping is constrained by the state of neighboring sites, mimicking excluded-volume interactions of dense fluids; and (ii) fully packed quantum dimers on the square lattice. Both models have a Rokhsar-Kivelson (RK) point at which kinetic and potential energy constants are equal. To one side of the RK point, where kinetic energy dominates, thermalization is fast. To the other, where potential energy dominates, thermalization is slow, memory of initial conditions persists for long times, and separation of timescales leads to pronounced metastability before eventual thermalization. Furthermore, in analogy with what occurs in the relaxation of classical glasses, the slow-thermalization regime displays dynamical heterogeneity as manifested by spatially segregated growth of entanglement.

Emergent Devil's Staircase without Particle-Hole Symmetry in Rydberg Quantum Gases with Competing Attractive and Repulsive Interactions.

The devil's staircase is a fractal structure that characterizes the ground state of one-dimensional classical lattice gases with long-range repulsive convex interactions. Its plateaus mark regions of stability for specific filling fractions which are controlled by a chemical potential. Typically, such a staircase has an explicit particle-hole symmetry; i.e., the staircase at more than half filling can be trivially extracted from the one at less than half filling by exchanging the roles of holes and particles. Here, we introduce a quantum spin chain with competing short-range attractive and long-range repulsive interactions, i.e., a nonconvex potential. In the classical limit the ground state features generalized Wigner crystals that--depending on the filling fraction--are composed of either dimer particles or dimer holes, which results in an emergent complete devil's staircase without explicit particle-hole symmetry of the underlying microscopic model. In our system the particle-hole symmetry is lifted due to the fact that the staircase is controlled through a two-body interaction rather than a one-body chemical potential. The introduction of quantum fluctuations through a transverse field melts the staircase and ultimately makes the system enter a paramagnetic phase. For intermediate transverse field strengths, however, we identify a region where the density-density correlations suggest the emergence of quasi-long-range order. We discuss how this physics can be explored with Rydberg-dressed atoms held in a lattice.

Quasiparticle lifetime in ultracold fermionic mixtures with density and mass imbalance.

We show that atomic Fermi mixtures with density and mass imbalance exhibit a rich diversity of scaling laws for the quasiparticle decay rate beyond the quadratic energy and temperature dependence of conventional Fermi liquids. For certain densities and mass ratios, the decay rate is linear, whereas in other cases, it exhibits a plateau. Remarkably, this plateau extends from the deeply degenerate to the high temperature classical regime of the light species. Many of these scaling laws are analogous to what is found in very different systems, including dirty metals, liquid metals, and high temperature plasmas. The Fermi mixtures can in this sense span a whole range of seemingly diverse and separate physical systems. Our results are derived in the weakly interacting limit, making them quantitatively reliable. The different regimes can be detected with radio-frequency spectroscopy.