Experimental demonstration of the robust end state in a split-ring-resonator chain

Abstract: One of the fascinating topological phenomena is the end state in one dimensional system. In this work, the topological photonics in the dimer chains composed by the split ring resonators are revealed based on the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model. The topologically protected photonic end state is observed directly with the in situ measurements of the local density of states in the topological nontrivial chain. Moreover, we experimentally demonstrate that the end state localized at both ends is robust against a varied of perturbations, such as loss and disorder. Our results not only provide a versatile platform to study the topological physics in photonics but also may have potential applications in the robust communication and power transfer.