Electrically controlled topological interface modes in graphene-based photonic superlattices

We demonstrate the electrical control of topological interface modes at the interface between a graphene-based photonic superlattice and a uniform dielectric medium. Specifically, by integrating graphene sheets into the unit cell of metallodielectric superlattices, the presence or absence of topological interface modes can be dynamically controlled by tuning the permittivity of graphene via electrical gating. These topological modes emerge when the spatial average of the permittivity of the superlattices is negative and vanishes as the chemical potential of graphene is adjusted to render the averaged permittivity positive. The dependence of the existence of topological interface modes on the sign of the spatial average of the permittivity is fundamentally related to the emergence of a Dirac point, which arises when the averaged permittivity of the superlattices reaches zero and is accompanied by the Zak phase transition, thus resulting in the appearance and disappearance of topological interface modes. Furthermore, we find that the propagation constant of topological interface modes decreases when increasing the chemical potential of graphene. The robustness of such topological interface modes is also demonstrated. Our work provides clear physical insights and offers a promising approach to the dynamic control of topological interface modes.