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Bloch state tomography using Wilson lines

Year: 2016
Type: article
Abstract: Topology and geometry are essential to our understanding of modern physics, underlying many foundational concepts from high-energy theories, quantum information, and condensed-matter physics. In condensed-matter systems, a wide range of phenomena stem from the geometry of the band eigenstates, which is encoded in the matrix-valued Wilson line for general multiband systems. Using an ultracold gas of rubidium atoms loaded in a honeycomb optical lattice, we realize strong-force dynamics in Bloch bands that are described by Wilson lines and observe an evolution in the band populations that directly reveals the band geometry. Our technique enables a full determination of band eigenstates, Berry curvature, and topological invariants, including single- and multiband Chern and Z₂ numbers.
Source: Science
DOI: 10.1126/science.aad5812
Authors: Tracy Li, Lucia Duca, Martin Reitter, Fabian Grusdt, Eugene Demler, Manuel Endres, Monika Schleier-Smith, Immanuel Bloch, Ulrich Schneider
Institutions: Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Harvard University, University of Kaiserslautern, California Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of Cambridge
Language: English
Open Access status: green
Funders: National Science Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, European Commission, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Army Research Office
OpenAlex ID: W2395701151
FWCI: 12.13
Cites: 52
Cited by: 183
Related to: 10