High Harmonic Spectroscopy from Lower-Order to Higher-Order Topological Insulators

High Harmonic Spectroscopy from Lower-Order to Higher-Order Topological Insulators | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article High Harmonic Spectroscopy from Lower-Order to Higher-Order Topological Insulators Bryan Lorenzo, Camilo Granados, Dasol Kim, Carlos Batista, Jean Menotti, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7443608/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Over the last decade, high-harmonic spectroscopy has been successfully extended to the study of ultrafast electron motion in solids, shedding light on fundamental processes such as Bloch oscillations and higher-order nonlinear phenomena. In this work, we present theoretical studies of high-harmonic spectroscopy applied to topological materials including lower-order and higher-order ones, focusing on several key observables associated with high-harmonic generation - namely, helicity, circular dichroism, and ellipticity dependence. We extend current all-optical measurement approaches from lower-order topological insulators (LOTIs) to higher-order topological insulators (HOTIs), employing three distinct models: a Haldane model for Chern insulators, Kane-Mele model for topological insulators, and a breathing Kagome lattice for HOTIs. This work aims to resolve whether helicity, circular dichroism, and ellipticity dependence can reveal signatures of topological states. For the Chern insulators and topological insulators, we find that these observables can indeed capture topological phases. In contrast, for HOTIs, no clear signatures of topology emerge in the harmonic spectrum, suggesting that a more careful analysis is required to identify topological invariants in higher-order topological insulators. In particular, for the topological semimetal phase, we find a harmonic enhancement by two to three orders of magnitude in the Kagome lattice. Our study delineates the conditions under which high-harmonic spectroscopy serves as a unique tool for diagnosing topological phases, particularly for those associated with topological corner states. Physical sciences/Materials science Physical sciences/Physics Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7443608","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":508123115,"identity":"a2120604-11b9-45f4-b24c-a6c8d5c3b091","order_by":0,"name":"Bryan Lorenzo","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidad de Panamá","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Bryan","middleName":"","lastName":"Lorenzo","suffix":""},{"id":508123118,"identity":"f5db51fd-a069-4bed-afe0-951a0ec4e69c","order_by":1,"name":"Camilo Granados","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Eastern Institute of 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In this work, we present theoretical studies of high-harmonic spectroscopy applied to topological materials including lower-order and higher-order ones, focusing on several key observables associated with high-harmonic generation - namely, helicity, circular dichroism, and ellipticity dependence. We extend current all-optical measurement approaches from lower-order topological insulators (LOTIs) to higher-order topological insulators (HOTIs), employing three distinct models: a Haldane model for Chern insulators, Kane-Mele model for topological insulators, and a breathing Kagome lattice for HOTIs. This work aims to resolve whether helicity, circular dichroism, and ellipticity dependence can reveal signatures of topological states. For the Chern insulators and topological insulators, we find that these observables can indeed capture topological phases. 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