# 02 - PhoToMaD - Photonic Topological Materials with Disorder

**Source**: https://www.cs.tum.de/spp1839/projects/1st-period-2015-2018/02.html
**Parent**: https://www.cs.tum.de/spp1839/projects.html

The aim of this proposal is to promote the
understanding of new physical phenomena in disordered photonic
topological materials, by using coupled optical waveguide systems. In
particular, our theoretical and experimental research will address

1. Studies
   of topologically protected edge transport in disordered media with
   broken time-reversal symmetry (i.e., a topological Anderson insulator);
2. Studies of edge and bulk transport in disordered non-hermitian topological media;
3. Studies
   of nonlinear wave dynamics in disordered topological media (with
   either broken time-reversal symmetry or non-hermiticity).

Hence,
in our proposal we address multiple key points of the SPP 1839
Tailored Disorder, which are moreover of fundamental importance for the
understanding of wave physics in topological materials. Apart from
revealing new and fundamental scientific knowledge, which is based on
our sophisticated approach of using a highly controllable optical
system (i.e., arrays of evanescently coupled waveguides), our results
will have immediate technological significance, as they can be used in
telecommunication and photonic data processing. We will take advantage
of our superior fabrication technology that allows the individual
addressing of numerous physical questions. We will combine the
experimental work with theoretical analysis, in order to explain our
results thoroughly and optimize device performance. The objectives of
the proposed work are:

1. We will demonstrate, for the first
   time in any physical system, a topological Anderson insulator, in which
   disorder facilitates the formation of topologically protected one-way
   edge states;
2. We will investigate, theoretically and
   experimentally, the impact of disorder on non-hermitian systems.
   Particular focus is given on PT-symmetric systems, where all
   eigenvalues are real;
3. We will analyze soliton formation in
   disordered photonic topological materials, in hermitian and
   non-hermitian systems, theoretically and experimentally.

We will determine the regime of existence of such solitons, determine their stability and dynamical properties.

## Contributors

- [Prof. Alexander Szameit](https://www.optics.physik.uni-rostock.de/)

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