We demonstrate theoretically that a strong high-frequency circularly polarized electromagnetic field can turn a two-dimensional periodic array of interconnected quantum rings into a topological insulator. The elaborated approach is applicable to calculate and analyze the electron energy spectrum of the array, the energy spectrum of the edge states, and the corresponding electronic densities. As a result, the present theory paves the way to optical control of the topological phases in ring-based mesoscopic structures.

• Received 5 November 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.97.035416