Lasing from multipole topological corner states

Abstract

Topological photonics provides a fundamental framework for robust manipulation of light, including directional transport and localization with built-in immunity to disorder. Combined with an optical gain, active topological cavities hold special promise for a design of light-emitting devices. Most studies to date have focused on lasing at topological edges of finite systems or domain walls. Recently discovered higher-order topological phases enable strong high-quality confinement of light at the corners. Here we demonstrate lasing action of corner states in a nanophotonic topological cavity. We identify four multipole corner modes with distinct emission profiles via hyperspectral imaging and discern signatures of non-Hermitian radiative coupling of leaky topological states. In addition, depending on the pump position in a large-size cavity, we selectively generate lasing from either edge or corner states within the topological bandgap. Our findings introduce pathways to engineer collective resonances and tailor generation of light in active topological circuits.