Coriolis force induced topological order for classical mechanical vibrations

Yao Ting Wang, Pi Gang Luan, Shuang Zhang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

130 Scopus citations

Abstract

We show that topological order and vibrational edge modes can exist in a classical mechanical system consisting of a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice of masses and springs. The band structure shows the existence of Dirac cones and unconventional edge states that are similar to the vibrational modes in graphene. Interestingly, as the system is placed on a constantly rotational coordinate system, the Coriolis force resulting from the non-inertial reference frame introduces time-reversal symmetry breaking and leads to topologically nontrivial band gaps. The nontrivial topological orders are further verified by the calculation of Chern numbers for corresponding bands.

Original languageEnglish
Article number073031
JournalNew Journal of Physics
Volume17
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jul 2015

Keywords

  • crystal
  • topological order
  • vibration

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