Topological wave equation eigenmodes in continuous 2D periodic geometries

In this paper, we address the topological characterization of the wave equation solutions in continuous two-dimensional (2D) periodic geometries with Neumann or Dirichlet boundary conditions. This characterization is relevant in the context of 2D vibrating membranes and our approach allows one to understand the topological behavior recently observed in acoustic three-dimensional artificial lattices. In particular, the dependence of the topological behavior on the experimental positioning of the coupling channels is explained using simple arguments and a simple method of construction of an equivalent effective tight-binding Hamiltonian is presented.