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Helical metasurfaces based on topological surface states in three-dimensional photonic topological insulators

Nature Materials volume 25, pages 762–766 (2026) Cite this article

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Abstract

Topological photonics expands the landscape of artificial electromagnetic materials and provides a variety of responses via robust boundary modes. Three-dimensional photonic topological insulators are predicted to host robust spin–momentum-locked surface states. However, their all-dielectric experimental realization has remained a fundamental challenge. Here we demonstrate a practical realization of a three-dimensional all-dielectric photonic topological insulator. We show a complete photonic topological bandgap as well as gapless topological surface states trapped on open boundaries of topological systems. The coupling of these states to the radiative continuum offers opportunities for controlling the emission of electromagnetic waves. We unveil that open interfaces in three-dimensional photonic topological insulators behave as effective metasurfaces and show that the helical nature of topological surface states supported by the interfaces enables control over far-field emission via the pseudo-spin degree of freedom. Further structuring of the topological interfaces provides further enhancement of such effective metasurfaces by offering control over far-field radiation patterns and directionality of the surface state emission.

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Fig. 1: Three-dimensional all-dielectric PTI.
The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.
Fig. 2: Numerical calculations of topological boundary states at open boundaries of a 3D PTI.
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Fig. 3: Observation of spin–momentum locking of surfaces states in a 3D PTI with open boundaries.
The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.
Fig. 4: Experimental observation of the far-field radiation of topological pseudo-spin-polarized surfaces states in the EHM.
The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

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Data availability

All relevant data are available within the article and Supplementary Information. No large datasets were generated during this study. The data files are also available from the corresponding authors upon request.

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Acknowledgements

We are extremely thankful and grateful to A. Khanikaev for guidance, collaboration, investing time, sharing ideas and his support during the project implementation. We thank D. Smirnova and N. Olekhno for their inputs into the project. We also thank L. Pogorelskaya for proofreading the paper. The work of D.V.Z., AD.R., G.D.K. and M.A.G. was supported by the Priority 2030 Federal Academic Leadership Program and the Russian Science Foundation (grant no. 24-72-10069). Y.S.K. acknowledges support from the University of Hong Kong via the Hung Hing Ying Distinguished Visiting Professorship in Science and Technology. A.P.S. has not been affiliated with ITMO University since December 2024.

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Author notes

  1. Alexey P. Slobozhanyuk

    Present address: , Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Physics and Engineering, ITMO University, Saint Petersburg, Russia

    Dmitry V. Zhirihin, Mikhail S. Sidorenko, Alina D. Rozenblit, Georgiy D. Kurganov, Maxim A. Gorlach, Dmitry S. Filonov & Alexey P. Slobozhanyuk

  2. Nonlinear Physics Centre, Research School of Physics, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

    Yuri S. Kivshar

  3. Department of Physics, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong

    Yuri S. Kivshar

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Contributions

D.V.Z., A.P.S. and Y.S.K. conceived the research idea. D.V.Z. planned and supervised the project. D.V.Z., M.S.S. and A.P.S. developed the designs for 3D PTIs and performed the initial numerical calculations, optimizations and experimental investigations. D.V.Z., M.S.S., A.D.R., G.D.K. and D.S.F. contributed to the experimental investigation at different stages of the project. D.V.Z. and M.S.S. designed and conducted the initial experiments. A.D.R. extracted dispersion diagrams from the measurements. A.D.R. and G.D.K. demonstrated numerically and experimentally the robustness of the topological states. M.A.G. and A.D.R. performed the theoretical analysis. G.D.K. developed an optical design for a 3D PTI. All authors engaged in thorough discussions and contributed to the paper.

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Correspondence to Dmitry V. Zhirihin or Alexey P. Slobozhanyuk.

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Supplementary Notes 1–11, Figs. 1–18 and References.

Supplementary Video 1 (download MP4 )

Extracted dispersion of topological boundary modes.

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Zhirihin, D.V., Sidorenko, M.S., Rozenblit, A.D. et al. Helical metasurfaces based on topological surface states in three-dimensional photonic topological insulators. Nat. Mater. 25, 762–766 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-026-02488-8

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