Tailoring higher-order topological phases via orbital hybridization

Abstract: Higher-order topological insulators (HOTIs) have attracted much attention in photonics due to the tightly localized disorder-robust corner and hinge states. Here, we reveal an unconventional HOTI phase with vanishing dipole and quadrupole polarizations. This phase arises in the array of evanescently coupled waveguides hosting degenerate $s$- and $d$-type orbital modes arranged in a square lattice with four waveguides in the unit cell. As we prove, the degeneracy of the modes with the different symmetry gives rise to the nontrivial topological properties rendering the system equivalent to the two copies of anisotropic two-dimensional Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model rotated by 90$^\circ$ with respect to each other and based on $s\pm d$ hybridized orbitals. Our results introduce a route to tailor higher-order band topology leveraging both crystalline symmetries and accidental degeneracies of the different orbital modes.