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    Layer-Number Parity Induced Topological Phase Transition

    Kai Chen1,*, Junyan Guan1, Jiamin Guo1, He Gao2, Zhongming Gu1,†, and Jie Zhu1,‡

    • *Contact author: KaiChenPhys@tongji.edu.cn
    • †Contact author: zhmgu@tongji.edu.cn
    • ‡Contact author: jiezhu@tongji.edu.cn

    Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 096602 – Published 25 August, 2026

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/jxhl-p79b

    Abstract

    We demonstrate that stacking topologically trivial layers, under enforced symmetry restrictions, yields emergent topological phases with protected boundary states. Remarkably, the number of layers itself acts as a topological switch, enabling the system to host topological bound states in the continuum (BICs). Analytically, we reveal that an odd-layer configuration not only renders the spectrum gapless but also supports BICs protected by interlayer reflection symmetry. Combined with entanglement-spectrum calculations, this confirms that odd-layer systems indeed support topological BICs. We provide experimental confirmation of these topological states in stacked acoustic lattices. Our findings establish a previously overlooked pathway to topology and demonstrate a readily applicable strategy for realizing exotic states in a wide range of artificial material systems.

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