Topological interface states mediated by spontaneous symmetry breaking

We propose a one-dimensional nonlinear system of coupled anharmonic oscillators that dynamically undergoes a topological transition switching from the disordered and topologically trivial phase to the nontrivial one due to the spontaneous symmetry breaking. The topological transition is accompanied by the formation of the topological interface state in the spectrum of linearized excitations of the equilibrium phase. Our findings thus highlight the potential of the nonlinear systems for hosting the topological phases and uncover a fundamental link between the spontaneous-symmetry-breaking mechanism and topological interface states.