Topological characterization of a reconfigurable synthetic-frequency SSH lattice on an integrated lithium-niobate platform
Abstract
Synthetic frequency dimensions provide a powerful and highly reconfigurable platform for topological photonics. However, experimentally identifying their topological phases remains challenging because these systems do not naturally provide well-defined boundaries or readily accessible edge-state signatures. Here, we realize a reconfigurable Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) lattice in a synthetic frequency dimension using an integrated thin-film lithium-niobate photonic molecule and directly measure its topology. Electro-optic coupling between staggered resonator supermodes enables independent control of the effective intra-cell and inter-cell hopping strengths, enabling dynamic switching between trivial and non-trivial topological phases on the same chip. We validate the transition through two independently derived bulk topological invariants: direct retrieval of Zak phase from time-resolved synthetic-dimension band-structure spectroscopy; and extraction of the winding number using mean-chiral-displacement method from site-resolved steady-state measurements. Both approaches consistently identify the topological transition and agree closely with theoretical predictions. Our results demonstrate experimentally accessible, boundary-independent methods for characterizing topology in synthetic-frequency lattices. More broadly, the integrated and dynamically reconfigurable photonic platform provides a scalable framework for bulk topological characterization and programmable topological photonic systems.
Related
- Kirigami-actuated reconfigurable topological photonic crystals.
- Grammar-based topology search for reconfigurable integrated photonic spectrometers
- Reconfigurable Linear Optical Transformations in a Single Integrated Multimode Waveguide
- Topological Acoustic Metamaterials with Synthetic Magnetism: Observation of Hofstadter Spectrum and Topological Edge States
- Synthetic SU(3) non-Abelian gauge fields in photonic synthetic frequency dimensions
BibTeX
@misc{dinh2026topological,
title = {{Topological characterization of a reconfigurable synthetic-frequency SSH lattice on an integrated lithium-niobate platform}},
author = {Hiep Xuan Dinh and Armandas Balčytis and Guanghui Ren and Mei Xian Low and Arnan Mitchell and Thach G. Nguyen},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.21440},
eprint = {2609.21440},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.21440},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Topological characterization of a reconfigurable synthetic-frequency SSH lattice on an integrated lithium-niobate platform
AU - Hiep Xuan Dinh
AU - Armandas Balčytis
AU - Guanghui Ren
AU - Mei Xian Low
AU - Arnan Mitchell
AU - Thach G. Nguyen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/18
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.21440
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.21440
AB - Synthetic frequency dimensions provide a powerful and highly reconfigurable platform for topological photonics. However, experimentally identifying their topological phases remains challenging because these systems do not naturally provide well-defined boundaries or readily accessible edge-state signatures. Here, we realize a reconfigurable Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) lattice in a synthetic frequency dimension using an integrated thin-film lithium-niobate photonic molecule and directly measure its topology. Electro-optic coupling between staggered resonator supermodes enables independent control of the effective intra-cell and inter-cell hopping strengths, enabling dynamic switching between trivial and non-trivial topological phases on the same chip. We validate the transition through two independently derived bulk topological invariants: direct retrieval of Zak phase from time-resolved synthetic-dimension band-structure spectroscopy; and extraction of the winding number using mean-chiral-displacement method from site-resolved steady-state measurements. Both approaches consistently identify the topological transition and agree closely with theoretical predictions. Our results demonstrate experimentally accessible, boundary-independent methods for characterizing topology in synthetic-frequency lattices. More broadly, the integrated and dynamically reconfigurable photonic platform provides a scalable framework for bulk topological characterization and programmable topological photonic systems.
ER -