Topological valley-locked waveguide transport in opto-heterostructures

In this paper, an opto-heterostructure based on light-responsive liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) is presented to realize topological valley-locked waveguide transport. First, the opto-deformation mode of the LCE gear-like cell is investigated. Then, the effects of light intensity and geometric parameters on degeneracy in the dispersion relation and the topological valley Hall phase transition are clarified. The existence of topological valley-locked waveguide states (TVWSs) in the heterostructures is theoretically analyzed and numerically simulated, and their robustness under varying conditions is verified. Finally, design schemes for high-throughput beam splitters and topological energy concentrators are proposed, and optically selective waveguides are implemented through the adjustment of the light intensity. The results illustrate that flexible control on the waveguide path and frequency selection is achieved through tuning the illumination pattern and the light intensity, which provide a new strategy for the design of TVWS opto-metamaterials.