Topological and conventional nano-photonic waveguides for directional integrated quantum optics

Abstract: Chirality in integrated quantum photonics has emerged as a promising route towards achieving scalable quantum technologies with quantum nonlinearity effects. Topological photonic waveguides, which utilize helical optical modes, have been proposed as a novel approach to harnessing chiral light-matter interactions on-chip. However, uncertainties remain regarding the nature and strength of the chiral coupling to embedded quantum emitters, hindering the scalability of these systems. In this work, we present a comprehensive investigation of chiral coupling in topological photonic waveguides using a combination of experimental, theoretical, and numerical analyses. We quantitatively characterize the position-dependence nature of the light-matter coupling on several topological photonic waveguides and benchmark their chiral coupling performance against conventional line defect waveguides for chiral quantum optical applications. Our results provide crucial insights into the degree and characteristics of chiral light-matter interactions in topological photonic quantum circuits and pave the way towards the implementation of quantitatively-predicted quantum nonlinear effects on-chip.