Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) chains are the simplest model systems that display topological edge states. We calculate high-harmonic spectra of SSH chains that are coupled to an external laser field of a frequency much smaller than the band gap. We find huge differences between the harmonic yield for the two topological phases, similar to recent results obtained with more demanding time-dependent density functional calculations [D. Bauer and K. K. Hansen, Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 177401 (2018)]. This shows that the tight-binding SSH model captures the essential topological aspects of the laser-chain interaction (while higher harmonics involving higher bands or screening in the metal phase are absent). We study the robustness of the topological difference with respect to disorder, a continuous phase transition in position space, and on-site potentials. Further, we address the question of whether the edges need to be illuminated by the laser for the huge difference in the harmonic spectra to be present.

• Received 11 February 2019
• Revised 17 April 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.99.195428