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arXiv:1603.02348 · Physical Review A

Pfaffian states in coupled atom-cavity systems

Andrew L. C. Hayward, A. Martin

Published May 19, 2016• 5 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Coupled atom-cavity arrays, such as those described by the Jaynes-Cummings-Hubbard model, have the potential to emulate a wide range of condensed-matter phenomena. In particular, the strongly correlated states of the fractional quantum Hall effect can be realized. At some filling fractions, the fraction quantum Hall effect has been shown to possess ground states with non-Abelian excitations. The most well studied of these states is the Pfaffian state of Moore and Read G. Moore and N. Read, Nucl. Phys. B 360, 362 (1991), which is the ground state of a Hall liquid with a three-body interaction. We show how an effective three-body interaction can be generated within the cavity QED framework, and that a Pfaffian-like ground state of these systems exists.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.93.053614

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Coupled atom-cavity arrays, such as those described by the Jaynes-Cummings-Hubbard model, have the potential to emulate a wide range of condensed-matter phenomena. In particular, the strongly correlated states of the fractional quantum Hall effect can be realized. At some filling fractions, the fraction quantum Hall effect has been shown to possess ground states with non-Abelian excitations. The most well studied of these states is the Pfaffian state of Moore and Read G. Moore and N. Read, Nucl. Phys. B 360, 362 (1991), which is the ground state of a Hall liquid with a three-body interaction. We show how an effective three-body interaction can be generated within the cavity QED framework, and that a Pfaffian-like ground state of these systems exists.
We present a comprehensive numerical study of a microscopic model of the fractional quantum Hall system at filling fraction $\ensuremath{\nu}=5∕2$, based on the disk geometry. Our model includes Coulomb interaction and a semirealistic confining potential. We also mix in a three-body interaction in some cases to help elucidate the physics. We obtain a phase diagram, discuss the conditions under which the ground state can be described by the Moore-Read state, and study its competition with neighboring stripe phases. We also study quasihole excitations and edge excitations in the Moore-Read-like state. From the evolution of the edge spectrum, we obtain the velocities of the charge and neutral edge modes, which turn out to be very different. This separation of velocities is a source of decoherence for a non-Abelian quasihole and/or quasiparticle (with charge $\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}e∕4$) when propagating at the edge; using numbers obtained from a specific set of parameters, we estimate the decoherence length to be around $4\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$. This sets an upper bound for the separation of the two point contacts in a double point-contact interferometer, designed to detect the non-Abelian nature of such quasiparticles. We also find a state that is a potential candidate for the recently proposed anti-Pfaffian state. We find the speculated anti-Pfaffian state is favored in weak confinement (smooth edge), while the Moore-Read Pfaffian state is favored in strong confinement (sharp edge).
Topological states of matter, such as fractional quantum Hall states, are an active field of research due to their exotic excitations. In particular, ultracold atoms in optical lattices provide a highly controllable and adaptable platform to study such new types of quantum matter. However, finding a clear route to realize non-Abelian quantum Hall states in these systems remains challenging. Here we use the density-matrix renormalization-group (DMRG) method to study the Hofstadter-Bose-Hubbard model at filling factor $\ensuremath{\nu}=1$ and find strong indications that at $\ensuremath{\alpha}=1/6$ magnetic flux quanta per plaquette the ground state is a lattice analog of the continuum non-Abelian Pfaffian. We study the on-site correlations of the ground state, which indicate its paired nature at $\ensuremath{\nu}=1$, and find an incompressible state characterized by a charge gap in the bulk. We argue that the emergence of a charge density wave on thin cylinders and the behavior of the two- and three-particle correlation functions at short distances provide evidence for the state being closely related to the continuum Pfaffian. The signatures discussed in this letter are accessible in current cold atom experiments and we show that the Pfaffian-like state is readily realizable in few-body systems using adiabatic preparation schemes.
Fractional quantum Hall states are a cornerstone of topological physics, hosting fractionally charged quasiparticles with exotic statistics that promise to enable topologically protected quantum information processing. Among these, the Pfaffian state introduced by Moore and Read implements a p-wave pairing structure that supports excitations with non-Abelian exchange statistics. Despite extensive study in electronic systems, direct access to its pairing structure has remained limited. Here we realize a three-particle bosonic Pfaffian state of ultracold 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb atoms in an optical lattice subject to a Floquet-engineered synthetic magnetic field. Using a Bayesian-optimized adiabatic protocol, we prepare a state exhibiting Pfaffian pairing correlations. Site-resolved measurements of multi-point density correlations reveal a pronounced suppression of short-range three-body coincidences, reflecting the underlying pairing structure. We further probe the state's transport response through Hall drift measurements. Our results establish a bottom-up approach to engineering non-Abelian topological order and lay the groundwork for future explorations of anyonic braiding in synthetic matter.
The fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE) observed at half filling of the second Landau level is believed to be caused by a pairing of composite fermions captured by the Moore-Read Pfaffian wave function. The generating Hamiltonian for the Moore-Read Pfaffian is a purely three-body model that breaks particle-hole symmetry and lacks other properties, such as dominate two-body repulsive interactions, expected from a physical model of the FQHE. We use exact diagonalization to study the low-energy states of a more physical two-body generator model derived from the three-body model. We find that the two-body model exhibits the essential features expected from the Moore-Read Pfaffian: pairing, non-Abelian anyon excitations, and a neutral fermion mode. The model also satisfies constraints expected for a physical model of the FQHE at half-filling because it is short range, spatially decaying, particle-hole symmetric, and supports a roton mode with a robust spectral gap in the thermodynamic limit. Hence, this two-body model offers a bridge between artificial three-body generator models for paired states and the physical Coulomb interaction and can be used to further explore properties of non-Abelian physics in the FQHE.
We review some theoretical progress towards understanding the origin of the fractional quantum Hall effect at filling factor 5/2 using numerical techniques. The leading candidate thought to describe the physics is the Moore-Read Pfaffian state which supports non-abelian anyonic excitations. Interestingly, these excitations have possible applications in topologically protected quantum information processing. Specifically, we discuss how the finite-thickness of realistic quasi-two-dimensional systems stabilizes the Moore-Read Pfaffian in the fractional quantum Hall effect at 5/2 and the use of bilayer systems in the second Landau level to investigate the possible quantum phase transition between abelian and non-abelian fractional quantum Hall states.
Jaynes-Cummings-Hubbard arrays provide unique opportunities for quantum emulation as they exhibit convenient state preparation and measurement, as well as in situ tuning of parameters. We show how to realize strongly correlated states of light in Jaynes-Cummings-Hubbard arrays under the introduction of an effective magnetic field. The effective field is realized by dynamic tuning of the cavity resonances. We demonstrate the existence of Laughlin-like fractional quantum Hall states by computing topological invariants, phase transitions between topologically distinct states, and Laughlin wave function overlap.