Topological features without a lattice in Rashba spin-orbit coupled atoms

A. Valdés-Curiel, D. Trypogeorgos, Q.-Y. Liang, R. P. Anderson and I. B. Spielman ()
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A. Valdés-Curiel: Joint Quantum Institute, University of Maryland
D. Trypogeorgos: Joint Quantum Institute, University of Maryland
Q.-Y. Liang: Joint Quantum Institute, University of Maryland
R. P. Anderson: Joint Quantum Institute, University of Maryland
I. B. Spielman: Joint Quantum Institute, University of Maryland

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Topological order can be found in a wide range of physical systems, from crystalline solids, photonic meta-materials and even atmospheric waves to optomechanic, acoustic and atomic systems. Topological systems are a robust foundation for creating quantized channels for transporting electrical current, light, and atmospheric disturbances. These topological effects are quantified in terms of integer-valued ‘invariants’, such as the Chern number, applicable to the quantum Hall effect, or the $${{\mathbb{Z}}}_{2}$$ Z 2 invariant suitable for topological insulators. Here, we report the engineering of Rashba spin-orbit coupling for a cold atomic gas giving non-trivial topology, without the underlying crystalline structure that conventionally yields integer Chern numbers. We validated our procedure by spectroscopically measuring both branches of the Rashba dispersion relation which touch at a single Dirac point. We then measured the quantum geometry underlying the dispersion relation using matter-wave interferometry to implement a form of quantum state tomography, giving a Berry’s phase with magnitude π. This implies that opening a gap at the Dirac point would give two dispersions (bands) each with half-integer Chern number, potentially implying new forms of topological transport.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20762-4

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