Surface impedance and topologically protected interface modes in one-dimensional phononic crystals

Abstract: When semi-infinite phononic crystals (PCs) are in contact, localized modes may exist at their boundary. The central question is generally to predict their existence and to determine their stability. With the rapid expansion of the field of topological insulators, powerful tools have been developed to address these questions. In particular, when applied to one-dimensional systems with mirror symmetry, the bulk-boundary correspondence claims that the existence of interface modes is given by a topological invariant computed from the bulk properties of the phononic crystal, which ensures strong stability properties. This one-dimensional bulk-boundary correspondence has been proven in various works. Recent attempts have exploited the notion of surface impedance, relying on analytical calculations of the transfer matrix. In the present work, the monotonic evolution of surface impedance with frequency is proven for all one-dimensional phononic crystals with mirror symmetry. This result allows us to establish a stronger version of the bulk-boundary correspondence that guarantees not only the existence but also the uniqueness of a topologically protected interface state. The method is numerically illustrated in the physically relevant case of PCs with imperfect interfaces, where analytical calculations would be out of reach.