Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1110.6120 · Physical Review Letters

Edge States and Topological Phases in One-Dimensional Optical Superlattices

Li-Jun Lang, Xiaoming Cai, Shu Chen

Published May 29, 2012• 322 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We show that one-dimensional quasiperiodic optical lattice systems can exhibit edge states and topological phases which are generally believed to appear in two-dimensional systems. When the Fermi energy lies in gaps, the Fermi system on the optical superlattice is a topological insulator characterized by a nonzero topological invariant. The topological nature can be revealed by observing the density profile of a trapped fermion system, which displays plateaus with their positions uniquely determined by the ration of wavelengths of the bichromatic optical lattice. The butterflylike spectrum of the superlattice system can be also determined from the finite-temperature density profiles of the trapped fermion system. This finding opens an alternative avenue to study the topological phases and Hofstadter-like spectrum in one-dimensional optical lattices.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.108.220401

Related papers

Effect of disorders on topological phases in one-dimensional optical superlattices

Zhizhou Wang, Yidong Wu, Huijing Du +1 more

In a recent paper, Lang et al. proposed that edge states and topological phases can be observed in one-dimensional optical superlattices. They showed that the topological phases can be revealed by observing the density profile of a trapped fermion system, which displays plateaus with their positions. However, disorders are not considered in their model. To study the effect of disorders on the topological phases, we introduce random potentials to the model for optical superlattcies. Our calculations show that edge states are robust against the disorders. We find the edge states are very sensitive to the number of the sites in the optical superlattice and we propose a simple rule to describe the relationship between the edge states and the number of sites. The density plateaus are also robust against weak disorders provided that the average density is calculated over a long interval. The widths of the plateaus are proportional to the widths of the bulk energy gaps when there are disorders. The disorders can diminish the bulk energy gaps. So the widths of the plateaus decrease with the increase of disorders and the density plateaus disappear when disorders are too strong. The results in our paper can be used to guide the experimental detection of topological phases in one-dimensional systems.

Chinese Physics B•Jul 1, 2016•1 citation

Topological transitions of interacting bosons in one-dimensional bichromatic optical lattices

Xiaolong Deng, Luis Santos

Ultracold atoms in one-dimensional (1D) bichromatic optical lattices constitute a surprisingly simple system for the study of topological insulators. We show that bosons in 1D bichromatic lattices present as a general feature the existence, at equal fractional filling, of Mott-insulator phases with different topological character. These different phases are a direct consequence of the bosonic and interacting nature of the particles and the topological nature of the Bloch bands. We demonstrate that the associated hidden topological transitions may occur both as a function of the superlattice strength and due to intersite interactions. We also discuss the topological character of incommensurate density-wave phases in quasiperiodic superlattices.

arXiv:1305.5908•Physical Review A•Mar 26, 2014•45 citations

Trapped Fermi Gases in Rotating Optical Lattices: Realization and Detection of the Topological Hofstadter Insulator

R. O. Umucalılar, Hui Zhai, Mehmet Özgür Oktel

We consider a gas of noninteracting spinless fermions in a rotating optical lattice and calculate the density profile of the gas in an external confinement potential. The density profile exhibits distinct plateaus, which correspond to gaps in the single particle spectrum known as the Hofstadter butterfly. The plateaus result from insulating behavior whenever the Fermi energy lies within a gap. We discuss the necessary conditions to realize the Hofstadter insulator in a cold atom setup and show how the quantized Hall conductance can be measured from density profiles using the Streda formula.

arXiv:0711.3705•Physical Review Letters•Feb 19, 2008•98 citations

Topological Bose-Mott Insulators in a One-Dimensional Optical Superlattice

Shi-Liang Zhu, Z. D. Wang, Yang‐Hao Chan +1 more

We study topological properties of the Bose-Hubbard model with repulsive interactions in a one-dimensional optical superlattice. We find that the Mott insulator states of the single-component (two-component) Bose-Hubbard model under fractional fillings are topological insulators characterized by a nonzero charge (or spin) Chern number with nontrivial edge states. For ultracold atomic experiments, we show that the topological Chern number can be detected through measuring the density profiles of the bosonic atoms in a harmonic trap.

arXiv:1302.2947•Physical Review Letters•Feb 12, 2013•103 citations

Topological Mott insulators of ultracold atomic mixtures induced by interactions in one-dimensional optical superlattices

Zhihao Xu, Shu Chen

We present exactly solvable examples showing that topological Mott insulators can emerge from topologically trivial states due to strong interactions between atoms for atomic mixtures trapped in one-dimensional optical superlattice systems. The topological Mott insulating state is characterized by a nonzero Chern number and appears in the strongly interacting limit as long as the total band filling factor is an integer that is not sensitive to the filling of each component. The topological nature of the Mott phase can be revealed by observing the density profile of the trapped system. Our results can be also generalized to multicomponent atomic systems.

arXiv:1301.4709•Physical Review B•Jul 8, 2013•32 citations

Fractional Topological States of Dipolar Fermions in One-Dimensional Optical Superlattices

Zhihao Xu, Linhu Li, Shu Chen

We study the properties of dipolar fermions trapped in one-dimensional bichromatic optical lattices and show the existence of fractional topological states in the presence of strong dipole-dipole interactions. We find some interesting connections between fractional topological states in one-dimensional superlattices and the fractional quantum Hall states: (i) the one-dimensional fractional topological states for systems at filling factor ν=1/p have p-fold degeneracy, (ii) the quasihole excitations fulfill the same counting rule as that of fractional quantum Hall states, and (iii) the total Chern number of p-fold degenerate states is a nonzero integer. The existence of crystalline order in our system is also consistent with the thin-torus limit of the fractional quantum Hall state on a torus. The possible experimental realization in cold atomic systems offers a new platform for the study of fractional topological phases in one-dimensional superlattice systems.

arXiv:1210.7696•Physical Review Letters•May 21, 2013•58 citations
We show that one-dimensional quasiperiodic optical lattice systems can exhibit edge states and topological phases which are generally believed to appear in two-dimensional systems. When the Fermi energy lies in gaps, the Fermi system on the optical superlattice is a topological insulator characterized by a nonzero topological invariant. The topological nature can be revealed by observing the density profile of a trapped fermion system, which displays plateaus with their positions uniquely determined by the ration of wavelengths of the bichromatic optical lattice. The butterflylike spectrum of the superlattice system can be also determined from the finite-temperature density profiles of the trapped fermion system. This finding opens an alternative avenue to study the topological phases and Hofstadter-like spectrum in one-dimensional optical lattices.
In a recent paper, Lang et al. proposed that edge states and topological phases can be observed in one-dimensional optical superlattices. They showed that the topological phases can be revealed by observing the density profile of a trapped fermion system, which displays plateaus with their positions. However, disorders are not considered in their model. To study the effect of disorders on the topological phases, we introduce random potentials to the model for optical superlattcies. Our calculations show that edge states are robust against the disorders. We find the edge states are very sensitive to the number of the sites in the optical superlattice and we propose a simple rule to describe the relationship between the edge states and the number of sites. The density plateaus are also robust against weak disorders provided that the average density is calculated over a long interval. The widths of the plateaus are proportional to the widths of the bulk energy gaps when there are disorders. The disorders can diminish the bulk energy gaps. So the widths of the plateaus decrease with the increase of disorders and the density plateaus disappear when disorders are too strong. The results in our paper can be used to guide the experimental detection of topological phases in one-dimensional systems.
Ultracold atoms in one-dimensional (1D) bichromatic optical lattices constitute a surprisingly simple system for the study of topological insulators. We show that bosons in 1D bichromatic lattices present as a general feature the existence, at equal fractional filling, of Mott-insulator phases with different topological character. These different phases are a direct consequence of the bosonic and interacting nature of the particles and the topological nature of the Bloch bands. We demonstrate that the associated hidden topological transitions may occur both as a function of the superlattice strength and due to intersite interactions. We also discuss the topological character of incommensurate density-wave phases in quasiperiodic superlattices.
We consider a gas of noninteracting spinless fermions in a rotating optical lattice and calculate the density profile of the gas in an external confinement potential. The density profile exhibits distinct plateaus, which correspond to gaps in the single particle spectrum known as the Hofstadter butterfly. The plateaus result from insulating behavior whenever the Fermi energy lies within a gap. We discuss the necessary conditions to realize the Hofstadter insulator in a cold atom setup and show how the quantized Hall conductance can be measured from density profiles using the Streda formula.
We study topological properties of the Bose-Hubbard model with repulsive interactions in a one-dimensional optical superlattice. We find that the Mott insulator states of the single-component (two-component) Bose-Hubbard model under fractional fillings are topological insulators characterized by a nonzero charge (or spin) Chern number with nontrivial edge states. For ultracold atomic experiments, we show that the topological Chern number can be detected through measuring the density profiles of the bosonic atoms in a harmonic trap.
We present exactly solvable examples showing that topological Mott insulators can emerge from topologically trivial states due to strong interactions between atoms for atomic mixtures trapped in one-dimensional optical superlattice systems. The topological Mott insulating state is characterized by a nonzero Chern number and appears in the strongly interacting limit as long as the total band filling factor is an integer that is not sensitive to the filling of each component. The topological nature of the Mott phase can be revealed by observing the density profile of the trapped system. Our results can be also generalized to multicomponent atomic systems.
We study the properties of dipolar fermions trapped in one-dimensional bichromatic optical lattices and show the existence of fractional topological states in the presence of strong dipole-dipole interactions. We find some interesting connections between fractional topological states in one-dimensional superlattices and the fractional quantum Hall states: (i) the one-dimensional fractional topological states for systems at filling factor ν=1/p have p-fold degeneracy, (ii) the quasihole excitations fulfill the same counting rule as that of fractional quantum Hall states, and (iii) the total Chern number of p-fold degenerate states is a nonzero integer. The existence of crystalline order in our system is also consistent with the thin-torus limit of the fractional quantum Hall state on a torus. The possible experimental realization in cold atomic systems offers a new platform for the study of fractional topological phases in one-dimensional superlattice systems.