Linear and nonlinear photonic Jackiw-Rebbi states in interfaced binary waveguide arrays

We study analytically and numerically the optical analog of the Jackiw-Rebbi states in quantum-field theory. These solutions exist at the interface of two binary waveguide arrays, which are described by two Dirac equations with masses of opposite sign. We show that these special states are topologically robust not only in the linear regime, but also in the nonlinear one (with both focusing and defocusing nonlinearities). We also reveal that one can effectively generate Jackiw-Rebbi states starting from Dirac solitons. © 2017 American Physical Society.