Invited Talk: Integrated Nonlinear Topological Photonics

Microresonator frequency combs have revolutionized precision metrology, spectroscopy, and optical communication. Yet, nearly all existing platforms rely on single-ring resonators, where nonlinear dynamics are governed by a single timescale—set by one free spectral range determined by the geometry of the resonator. This inherently restricts control over optical synchronization, frequency-phase matching, and the existence of solitons. In contrast, topological photonic lattices provide a new synthetic dimension of control: multiple coupled resonators create multi-timescale interactions that reshape how nonlinear light evolves on a chip. We overcome these challenges by combining microresonator frequency combs with topological photon- ics to uncover new regimes of nonlinear light generation, multi-timescale synchronization, and new mechanisms of frequency–phase matching. Our ongoing work on integer quantum Hall (IQH) topological frequency combs explores waveguide-geometry-agnostic dispersion engineering and how octave-spanning microcombs can be used to probe topological physics. Moreover, our theoretical work predicts exotic solitonic states that go beyond conventional topological models. These results show that topological photonics offers advantages beyond topological protection and establishes a new design principle in nonlinear integrated photonics.

Jan 5, 2026 — Jan 9, 2026