Higher-order topological phase in an acoustic fractal lattice

Abstract

Higher-order topological insulators, which support lower-dimensional topological boundary states than the first-order topological insulators, have been intensely investigated in the integer dimensional systems. Here, we provide a new paradigm by presenting experimentally a higher-order topological phase in a fractal-dimensional system. Through applying the Benalcazar, Bernevig, and Hughes model into a Sierpinski carpet fractal lattice, we uncover a squeezed higher-order phase diagram featuring the abundant corner states, which consist of zero-dimensional outer corner states and 1.89-dimensional inner corner states. As a result, the codimension is now 1.89 and our model can be classified into the fractional-order topological insulators. The non-zero fractional charges at the outer/inner corners indicate that all corner states in the fractal system are indeed topologically nontrivial. Finally, in a fabricated acoustic fractal lattice, we experimentally observe the outer/inner corner states with local acoustic measurements. Our work demonstrates a higher-order topological phase in an acoustic fractal lattice and may pave the way to the fractional-order topological insulators.