Quantum simulation of non-trivial topology

Boada, O.; Celi, Alessio; Rodríguez-Laguna, Javier; Latorre, José I.; Lewenstein, Maciej

doi:10.1088/1367-2630/17/4/045007

Cited by 67 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 110 publications

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“…This would allow the investigation of synthetic flux ladders with tunable interleg interactions, and could be used to investigate SOC in atomic 173 Yb Fermi superfluids at the BEC-BCS crossover [39,40], e.g., to study the possible emergence of topological superfluidity. In the SD approach, we envision the possibility of combining the nuclear spin SD with the electronic SD, realizing multidimensional synthetic lattice structures with nontrivial connectivities [41,42], periodic boundary conditions, and engineered topological properties thanks to the control of the tunneling phases.…”

Section: H Y S I C a L R E V I E W L E T T E R S Week Ending 25 Novemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synthetic Dimensions and Spin-Orbit Coupling with an Optical Clock Transition

et al. 2016

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We demonstrate a novel way of synthesizing spin-orbit interactions in ultracold quantum gases, based on a single-photon optical clock transition coupling two long-lived electronic states of two-electron 173 Yb atoms. By mapping the electronic states onto effective sites along a synthetic "electronic" dimension, we have engineered fermionic ladders with synthetic magnetic flux in an experimental configuration that has allowed us to achieve uniform fluxes on a lattice with minimal requirements and unprecedented tunability. We have detected the spin-orbit coupling with fiber-link-enhanced clock spectroscopy and directly measured the emergence of chiral edge currents, probing them as a function of the flux. These results open new directions for the investigation of topological states of matter with ultracold atomic gases. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.220401 Ultracold atoms are emerging as a very versatile platform for the investigation of topological states of matter [1], thanks to the possibility of using laser light to synthesize artificial gauge fields [2,3] and to engineer lattices with topological band structures [4][5][6][7][8]. A prime element for the emergence of nontrivial topological properties is the presence of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) [9,10], locking the spin of the particles to their motion. This interaction was first synthesized in cold atomic gases by using twophoton Raman transitions [11] coupling two hyperfine spin states with a transfer of momentum. The coupling between spin states also enables a new powerful tool for engineering topological states of matter, which relies on the "synthetic dimension" (SD) concept [12,13]. According to this approach, the internal states of an atom are treated as effective sites along a synthetic lattice dimension, and coherent coupling between them is interpreted in terms of an effective tunneling. This idea has recently been realized in Refs. [14,15], where synthetic flux ladders have been implemented by using the spin degree of freedom, and has allowed the first observation of chiral edge states in ultracold atomic systems. Its extension has inspired several proposals, opening the way, e.g., to the observation of new quantum states [16,17], to the detection of fractional charge pumping [18,19], or to the observation of the four-dimensional quantum Hall effect [20].In this Letter, we demonstrate that SOC and SDs can be efficiently implemented by exploiting different degrees of freedom, specifically, the long-lived electronic state of alkaline-earth(-like) atoms. By using the technology developed in the context of optical atomic clocks, we induce a coherent coupling between the ground state g ¼ 1 S 0 and the metastable state e ¼ 3 P 0 (lifetime ∼20 s) of ultracold 173 Yb atoms. Since the two states are separated by an optical energy, it is possible to have a sizable transfer of momentum with a single-photon transition, as pointed out An ultranarrow clock laser with wavelength λ C drives the singlephoton transition between the ground state g ¼ 1 S 0 and the long...

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Section: H Y S I C a L R E V I E W L E T T E R S Week Ending 25 Novemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synthetic Dimensions and Spin-Orbit Coupling with an Optical Clock Transition

et al. 2016

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“…By viewing the internal spin states as another 'synthetic dimension', spin-orbit coupling in the real space can be viewed as a fictitious magnetic field in synthetic dimensions. The paper by Boada et al [23] further pursues this idea to simulate non-trivial topology.…”

Section: Topological Physics With Cold Atomsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Focus on topological physics: from condensed matter to cold atoms and optics

et al. 2016

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The notions of a topological phase and topological order were first introduced in the studies of integer and fractional quantum Hall effects, and further developed in the study of topological insulators and topological superconductors in the past decade. Topological concepts are now widely used in many branches of physics, not only limited to condensed matter systems but also in ultracold atomic systems, photonic materials and trapped ions. Papers published in this focus issue are direct testaments of that, and readers will gain a global view of how topology impacts different branches of contemporary physics. We hope that these pages will inspire new ideas through communication between different fields.

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“…Recently, quantum simulators built upon ultracold atomic gases [1] have been designed in order to explore the very interesting interplay between quantum mechanics and curved space-time [2], including the effects of dimensionality [3] or unusual topology [4]. Moreover, a detailed proposal for a quantum simulator to explore Unruh physics in cold atoms has been put forward [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, a detailed proposal for a quantum simulator to explore Unruh physics in cold atoms has been put forward [5]. The idea behind all the proposed quantum simulators on curved space-times [1][2][3][4][5] is the following: a static metric with an inhomogeneous time-lapse function |g 00 (x)| 1/2 for fermionic systems can be simulated by tuning the local hopping amplitudes between the cells of an optical lattice. This relation can be also understood in reverse: an inhomogeneity in the hopping amplitudes may be read as a non-trivial space-time metric.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local quantum thermometry using Unruh–DeWitt detectors

Robles¹,

Rodríguez-Laguna²

2017

J. Stat. Mech.

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We propose an operational definition for the local temperature of a quantum field employing Unruh-DeWitt detectors, as used in the study of the Unruh and Hawking effects. With this definition, an inhomogeneous quantum system in equilibrium can have different local temperatures, in analogy with the Tolman-Ehrenfest theorem from general relativity. We study the local temperature distribution on the ground state of hopping fermionic systems on a curved background. The observed temperature tends to zero as the thermometer-system coupling g vanishes. Yet, for small but finite values of g, we show that the product of the observed local temperature and the logarithm of the local speed of light is approximately constant. Our predictions should be testable on ultracold atomic systems.

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Quantum simulation of non-trivial topology

Cited by 67 publications

References 110 publications

Synthetic Dimensions and Spin-Orbit Coupling with an Optical Clock Transition

Synthetic Dimensions and Spin-Orbit Coupling with an Optical Clock Transition

Focus on topological physics: from condensed matter to cold atoms and optics

Local quantum thermometry using Unruh–DeWitt detectors

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