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arXiv:2210.09874 · Physical Review A

Chiral edge dynamics and quantum Hall physics in synthetic dimensions with an atomic erbium Bose-Einstein condensate

Roberto Vittorio Roell, Arif Warsi Laskar, Franz Huybrechts, Martin Weitz

Published Apr 3, 2023• 11 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Quantum Hall physics is at the heart of research on both matter and artificial systems, such as cold atomic gases, with nontrivial topological order. We report on the observation of a chiral edge current by transferring atomic wave packets simultaneously to opposite edges of a synthetic Hall system realized in the two-dimensional state space formed by one spatial and one synthetic dimension encoded in the $J=6$ electronic spin of erbium atoms. To characterize the system, the Hall drift of the employed atomic Bose-Einstein condensate in the lowest Landau-like level is determined. The topological properties are verified by determining the local Chern marker, and upon performing low-lying excitations both cyclotron and skipping orbits are observed in the bulk and edges, respectively. Future prospects include studies of novel topological phases in cold-atom systems.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.107.043302

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Quantum Hall physics is at the heart of research on both matter and artificial systems, such as cold atomic gases, with nontrivial topological order. We report on the observation of a chiral edge current by transferring atomic wave packets simultaneously to opposite edges of a synthetic Hall system realized in the two-dimensional state space formed by one spatial and one synthetic dimension encoded in the J=6J=6J=6 electronic spin of erbium atoms. To characterize the system, the Hall drift of the employed atomic Bose-Einstein condensate in the lowest Landau-like level is determined. The topological properties are verified by determining the local Chern marker, and upon performing low-lying excitations both cyclotron and skipping orbits are observed in the bulk and edges, respectively. Future prospects include studies of novel topological phases in cold-atom systems.
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Modern condensed matter physics relies on the concept of topology to classify matter, from quantum Hall systems to topological insulators. Engineered systems, benefiting from synthetic dimensions, can potentially give access to topological states predicted in dimensions D > 3. We report the realization of an atomic quantum Hall system evolving in four dimensions (4D), with two spatial dimensions and two synthetic ones encoded in the large spin of dysprosium atoms. We measure the nontrivial topological index of the ground band through a full characterization of the nonlinear electromagnetic response and observe the associated anisotropic hyperedge modes. We also excite nonplanar cyclotron motion, in contrast to the planar orbits in D ≤ 3. Our work may enable the investigation of strongly correlated topological liquids in 4D, generalizing fractional quantum Hall states.
A key hallmark of quantum Hall physics is the existence of topological chiral states at the system boundary. Signatures of these edge states have been experimentally observed in cold atoms by using different approaches, including notably that of “synthetic dimensions” in which internal states are coupled together and reinterpreted as sites along an artificial spatial dimension. However, previous atomic synthetic dimension implementations have been limited to relatively small system sizes with inflexible boundaries. In this paper, we propose instead how to use a synthetic dimension of atomic trap states to observe chiral edge states in a large quantum Hall system with a tunable edge. We present numerical simulations for relevant experimental parameters, showing how this scheme may be used to probe the properties and robustness of the edge states to defects. Our work opens the way for future experiments in topological physics with synthetic dimensions, while also providing new ways to manipulate and control highly excited trap states.
Chiral edge states are a hallmark of quantum Hall physics. In electronic systems, they appear as a macroscopic consequence of the cyclotron orbits induced by a magnetic field, which are naturally truncated at the physical boundary of the sample. Here we report on the experimental realization of chiral edge states in a ribbon geometry with an ultracold gas of neutral fermions subjected to an artificial gauge field. By imaging individual sites along a synthetic dimension, encoded in the nuclear spin of the atoms, we detect the existence of the edge states and observe the edge-cyclotron orbits induced during quench dynamics. The realization of fermionic chiral edge states opens the door for edge state interferometry and the study of non-Abelian anyons in atomic systems.
Modern condensed matter physics relies on the concept of topology to classify matter, from quantum Hall systems to topological insulators. Engineered systems, benefiting from synthetic dimensions, can potentially give access to novel topological states predicted in dimensions D>3D > 3D>3. We report the realization of an atomic quantum Hall system evolving in four dimensions (4D), with two spatial dimensions and two synthetic ones encoded in the large spin of dysprosium atoms. The non-trivial topology is evidenced by measuring a quantized electromagnetic non-linear response and observing anisotropic hyperedge modes. We also excite non-planar cyclotron motion, contrasting with its circular equivalents in D≤3D\leq3D≤3. Our work opens to the investigation of strongly-correlated topological liquids in 4D generalizing fractional quantum Hall states.
Interplay between matter and fields in physical spaces with nontrivial geometries gives rise to many exotic quantum phenomena. However, their realizations are often impeded by experimental constraints. Here, we realize a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) on a synthetic cylindrical surface subject to a net radial synthetic magnetic flux, topologically equivalent to a two-dimensional (2D) Hall ribbon with two edges connected. This cylindrical surface comprises a real spatial dimension and a curved synthetic dimension formed by cyclically-coupled spin states. The BEC on such a Hall cylinder has counterintuitive properties unattainable by its counterparts in 2D planes. We observe Bloch oscillations of the BEC with doubled periodicity of the band structure, analogous to traveling on a Mobius strip, reflecting the BEC's emergent crystalline order with nonsymmorphic symmetry-protected band crossings. We further demonstrate such topological operations as gapping the band crossings and unzipping the cylinder. Our work opens the door to engineering synthetic curved spaces and observing intriguing quantum phenomena inherent to the topology of spaces.