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Two-Terminal Transport Measurements with Cold Atoms

Sebastian Krinner, Tilman Esslinger, Jean-Philippe Brantut

Published Aug 31, 2017• 138 citations
Publisher

Abstract

In recent years, the ability of cold atom experiments to explore condensed-matter-related questions has dramatically progressed. Transport experiments, in particular, have expanded to the point in which conductance and other transport coefficients can now be measured in a way that is directly analogous to solid-state physics, extending cold-atom-based quantum simulations into the domain of quantum electronic devices. In this topical review, we describe the transport experiments performed with cold gases in the two-terminal configuration, with an emphasis on the specific features of cold atomic gases compared to solid-state physics. We present the experimental techniques and the main experimental findings, focusing on—but not restricted to—the recent experiments performed by our group. We finally discuss the perspectives opened up by this approach, the main technical and conceptual challenges for future developments, and potential applications in quantum simulation for transport phenomena and mesoscopic physics problems.

DOI
10.3929/ethz-b-000192826

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In recent years, the ability of cold atom experiments to explore condensed-matter-related questions has dramatically progressed. Transport experiments, in particular, have expanded to the point in which conductance and other transport coefficients can now be measured in a way that is directly analogous to solid-state physics, extending cold-atom-based quantum simulations into the domain of quantum electronic devices. In this topical review, we describe the transport experiments performed with cold gases in the two-terminal configuration, with an emphasis on the specific features of cold atomic gases compared to solid-state physics. We present the experimental techniques and the main experimental findings, focusing on—but not restricted to—the recent experiments performed by our group. We finally discuss the perspectives opened up by this approach, the main technical and conceptual challenges for future developments, and potential applications in quantum simulation for transport phenomena and mesoscopic physics problems.
In recent years, the ability of cold atom experiments to explore condensed-matter-related questions has dramatically progressed. Transport experiments, in particular, have expanded to the point in which conductance and other transport coefficients can now be measured in a way that is directly analogous to solid-state physics, extending cold-atom-based quantum simulations into the domain of quantum electronic devices. In this topical review, we describe the transport experiments performed with cold gases in the two-terminal configuration, with an emphasis on the specific features of cold atomic gases compared to solid-state physics. We present the experimental techniques and the main experimental findings, focusing on-but not restricted to-the recent experiments performed by our group. We finally discuss the perspectives opened up by this approach, the main technical and conceptual challenges for future developments, and potential applications in quantum simulation for transport phenomena and mesoscopic physics problems.
Transport measurement is an important tool for studying the fundamental properties of matter. Among them, transport through quantum point contacts is a very interesting phenomenon in mesoscopic physics. In non-interacting or weakly interacting Fermi systems, the conductivity exhibits quantized behavior as a function of gate voltage, revealing the quantum nature of matter. In recent years, transport in cold atomic systems has become one of the frontiers in this field. Cold atomic systems have highly are controllable and exhibit many novel phases, leading to new experimental phenomena that cannot be observed in traditional material physics. This article will review some of the latest experimental progress in transport through quantum point contacts in cold atomic Fermi gases, and will also introduce the non-equilibrium field theoretical methods commonly used to study this system.
Quantum transport is ubiquitous in physics. So far, quantum transport between terminals has been extensively studied in solid state systems from the fundamental point of views such as the quantized conductance to the applications to quantum devices. Recent works have demonstrated a cold-atom analog of a mesoscopic conductor by engineering a narrow conducting channel with optical potentials, which opens the door for a wealth of research of atomtronics emulating mesoscopic electronic devices and beyond. Here we realize an alternative scheme of the quantum transport experiment with ytterbium atoms in a two-orbital optical lattice system. Our system consists of a multi-component Fermi gas and a localized impurity, where the current can be created in the spin space by introducing the spin-dependent interaction with the impurity. We demonstrate a rich variety of localized-impurity-induced quantum transports, which paves the way for atomtronics exploiting spin degrees of freedom.
This is an introductory review of the physics of topological quantum matter with cold atoms. Topological quantum phases, originally discovered and investigated in condensed matter physics, have recently been explored in a range of different systems, which produced both fascinating physics findings and exciting opportunities for applications. Among the physical systems that have been considered to realize and probe these intriguing phases, ultracold atoms become promising platforms due to their high flexibility and controllability. Quantum simulation of topological phases with cold atomic gases is a rapidly evolving field, and recent theoretical and experimental developments reveal that some toy models originally proposed in condensed matter physics have been realized with this artificial quantum system. The purpose of this article is to introduce these developments. The article begins with a tutorial review of topological invariants and the methods to control parameters in the Hamiltonians of neutral atoms. Next, topological quantum phases in optical lattices are introduced in some detail, especially several celebrated models, such as the Su–Schrieffer–Heeger model, the Hofstadter–Harper model, the Haldane model and the Kane–Mele model. The theoretical proposals and experimental implementations of these models are discussed. Notably, many of these models cannot be directly realized in conventional solid-state experiments. The newly developed methods for probing the intrinsic properties of the topological phases in cold-atom systems are also reviewed. Finally, some topological phases with cold atoms in the continuum and in the presence of interactions are discussed, and an outlook on future work is given.
Advances in cooling and trapping of atoms have enabled unprecedented experimental control of many-body quantum systems.This led to the observation of numerous quantum phenomena, important for fundamental science, indispensable for high-precision simulations of condensed-matter systems and promising for technological applications.However, transport measurements in neutral quantum gases are still in their infancy in contrast to the central role they play in electronics.In these lectures, after reviewing nascent experiments on quantum fermionic transport, I will focus on our theoretical prediction and the possibility of experimental observations of qualitatively new phenomena in transport of ultracold bosons which do not have a direct counterpart in quantum electronic transport in condensed matter systems.The description of this transport is based on the Luttinger liquid theory.So in the first part of the lectures I will introduce main concepts of the Luttinger liquid based on the functional bosonisation approach.
Since the first proposal of quantum simulation by Richard Feynman in 1982, multiple platforms have been explored to probe the behaviour of subatomic particles, exploiting the intrinsic nature of quantum systems. As one of the most promising candidates to realise large-scale simulation, quantum simulators with ultracold gases have attracted unprecedented attention. Featuring novel detection possibilities, a high degree of controllability and the extreme physical parameter regimes that can be reached in these ‘artificial solids’, quantum simulation with ultracold atoms has progressively matured to the point that it can be used to study exotic quantum phenomena. This review presents the theoretical fundamentals and recent advances in related technology and offers comment on future directions.