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arXiv:2610.09673

Exploring topology via momentum-selective tomography

Sainan Huai, Ling Lin, Kunliang Bu, Tianqi Cai, Zhiwen Zong, Xiaopei Yang, Yuan Li, Yulei Ye, Zhenxing Zhang, Shengyu Zhang, Chaohong Lee

quant-phSubmitted Oct 7, 2026• Announced Oct 8, 2026• 0 citations

Abstract

Identifying and measuring topological invariants remains a fundamental challenge due to the non-local nature of momentum eigenstates in real space. Established approaches based on Bloch oscillations, quantum walks, charge pumping and quench dynamics, typically fail to provide direct momentum-dependent geometric information of each Bloch state. Here, we propose a novel framework for implementing direct band-topology tomography via momentum-selective measurements, and experimentally demonstrate it on a superconducting processor featuring a highly connected coupling architecture. Utilizing a ``star-like" geometry in which an auxiliary probe couples to a one-dimensional topological chain with spatially modulated coupling strengths, we selectively address the desired momentum states of the chain. This approach enables the direct and robust extraction of the winding phase that contributes to the associated topological invariant. Leveraging non-local couplers bridged by long tantalum airbridges, we realize an extended Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model and map its full topological phase diagram. Through a nested Fourier analysis over time and space, we directly extract the winding phase across Brillouin zone and resolve quantized winding numbers of $ν=\{0,\pm1,2\}$ characterized by phase winding $\{0, \pm 2π,4π\}$. Our work establishes a versatile tool for probing topological characteristics and opens a new avenue for robust quantum computing architectures based on topological protection.

Comments: 13 pages (main text), 4 figures

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ν=\{0,\pm1,2\}

characterized by phase winding

\{0, \pm 2π,4π\}

. Our work establishes a versatile tool for probing topological characteristics and opens a new avenue for robust quantum computing architectures based on topological protection.

We propose a protocol using a tunable Xmon qubit chain to construct generalized Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) models that support various topological phases. We study the time evolution of a single-excitation quantum state in a SSH-type qubit chain and find that such dynamics is linked to the topological winding number. We also investigate the adiabatic transfer of a single-excitation quantum state in a generalized SSH-type qubit chain and show that this process can be connected with the topological Chern number and be used to generate an entanglement-dependent topological pumping. All results have been demonstrated to be robust against qubit coupling imperfections and can be observed in a short Xmon qubit chain. Our study provides a simple method to directly measure topological invariants rooted in momentum space using quantum dynamics in real space.

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Many-body topological invariants, as quantized highly nonlocal correlators of the many-body wave function, are at the heart of the theoretical description of many-body topological quantum phases, including symmetry-protected and symmetry-enriched topological phases. Here, we propose and analyze a universal toolbox of measurement protocols to reveal many-body topological invariants of phases with global symmetries, which can be implemented in state-of-the-art experiments with synthetic quantum systems, such as Rydberg atoms, trapped ions, and superconducting circuits. The protocol is based on extracting the many-body topological invariants from statistical correlations of randomized measurements, implemented with local random unitary operations followed by site-resolved projective measurements. We illustrate the technique and its application in the context of the complete classification of bosonic symmetry-protected topological phases in one dimension, considering in particular the extended Su-Schrieffer-Heeger spin model, as realized with Rydberg tweezer arrays.