Tilman Esslinger | Emergence of topological pumping in atom-light interaction

▶Title: Emergence of topological pumping in atom-light interaction
▶Speaker: Tilman Esslinger (ETH Zurich)
▶Abstract: Pumps are transport mechanisms in which directed currents result from a cycling evolution of the potential. Thouless pointed out that pumping can have topological origin when considering the motion of quantum particles in spatially and temporally periodic potentials. We have discovered an emergent mechanism for geometric pumping in a quantum gas coupled to an optical resonator, where we observe a particle current without applying a periodic drive. The pumping potential experienced by the atoms is formed by the self-consistent cavity field interfering with the static laser field driving the atoms [Dreon et al., Nature, 608, 494 (2022)].
The fate of topological transport in the strongly correlated regime raises fundamental questions on the role of geometry in quantum many-body physics. We have studied topological transport in the regime of strong Hubbard interactions in a fermionic Thouless pump, facilitated by a dynamical optical superlattice. We observed a break-down of topological pumping for strong repulsive interactions. [Walter et al., Nature Physics 19, 1471 (2023)]. Long-distance topological pumping in harmonic confining potential reveals the presence of an interaction-induced topological boundary [Zhu et al., Science 384, 317 (2024)].

▶ About the MCQST Conference 2024:
The Munich Conference on Quantum Science and Technology 2024 (MCQST 2024) brings together the Munich quantum community with international invited guests in academia and industry for three days of talks and poster sessions. Join hundreds of guests from around the world in the beautiful Bavarian Alps on 14-17 May 2024 to exchange ideas, learn about innovative research, and discuss the latest advancements in all fields of quantum science and technology.

MCQST
▶ Conference: https://www.mcqst.de/conference2024
▶ Website: https://www.mcqst.de
▶ Twitter:   / mcqst_cluster  
▶ LinkedIn:   / mcqst