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Circulators based on coupled quantum anomalous Hall insulators and resonators

Luis A. Martinez1,*, Nick Du1, Nicholas Materise1, Sean O’Kelley1, Xian Wu1, Gang Qiu2,3, Kang L. Wang2, Gianpaolo P. Carosi1, Tony Low3 et al.

Dong-Xia Qu1,†

  • *Contact author: martinez289@llnl.gov
  • †Contact author: qu2@llnl.gov
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Phys. Rev. Applied 26, 034062 – Published 25 September, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/c5hf-mn4s

Abstract

Integrated plasmonics is advancing rapidly, enabling a wide range of functionalities to be incorporated onto a single chip. Applications span information processing, computation, quantum sensing, and dark matter detection. This progress has driven the development of integrated nonreciprocal devices, which are essential for preventing unwanted feedback that can degrade system performance. While nonreciprocal devices have been realized in edge magnetoplasmon (EMP) materials via classical interference effects, their operation is often limited by the input power range. Here, we demonstrate that topological circulators utilizing asymmetric coupling offer improved input power range, isolation, and insertion loss. In this configuration, we demonstrate that the coupling between a chiral edge magnetoplasmonic resonator and a pair of LC resonators is well described by an effective non-Hermitian two-site Hatano–Nelson model with asymmetric directional couplings, resulting in nonreciprocal behavior. The coherent photon-plasmon interaction enables a circulator with up to 50  dB of isolation across a broad range of excitation power. These results suggest that magnetic topological insulators provide a promising platform for realizing asymmetric non-Hermitian couplings at radio frequencies and for exploring regimes of strong directional suppression and possible exceptional-point physics. More broadly, they highlight the potential of topological-material-based microwave devices for future integration with superconducting quantum information platforms.

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Phys. Rev. Applied 26, 034062– Published 25 September, 2026
  • Received 29 July 2025
  • Revised 18 June 2026
  • Accepted 24 August 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

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