Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 27, 2026
11:21
Cooling an Optically Trapped Ultracold Fermi Gas by Periodical Driving
Published on: March 30, 2017
7.9K
Topological Fractional Pumping with Alkaline-Earth-Like Atoms in Synthetic Lattices
Luca Taddia1, Eyal Cornfeld2, Davide Rossini3,4
1Scuola Normale Superiore, I-56126 Pisa, Italy and CNR-Istituto Nazionale di Ottica, Sede Secondaria di Sesto Fiorentino, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
Physical Review Letters
|June 24, 2017
Summary
Researchers demonstrate a topological fractional pump using alkaline-earth atoms in optical lattices. This method could enable the first experimental measurement of a many-body Chern number in cold-atom systems.
Area of Science:
- Atomic Physics
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Quantum Simulation
Background:
- Alkaline-earth atoms in optical lattices can exhibit insulating states at fractional fillings.
- Topological phenomena in cold-atom systems are an active area of research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To realize a topological fractional pump using alkaline-earth atoms.
- To propose a method for experimentally measuring a many-body Chern number.
Main Methods:
- Many-body adiabatic expansion.
- Time-dependent matrix product state simulations.
- Analysis of an exactly solvable model for fractional pump.
Main Results:
- Demonstration of a topological fractional pump.
- Identification of a realistic experimental setup.
- Proposal for measuring the center-of-mass shift to detect the many-body Chern number.
Conclusions:
- Topological fractional pumps are achievable with alkaline-earth atoms in optical lattices.
- Cold-atom experiments can potentially measure many-body Chern numbers for the first time.
Related Concept Videos
02:54Trends in Lattice Energy: Ion Size and Charge
26.9K
An ionic compound is stable because of the electrostatic attraction between its positive and negative ions. The lattice energy of a compound is a measure of the strength of this attraction. The lattice energy (ΔHlattice) of an ionic compound is defined as the energy required to separate one mole of the solid into its component gaseous ions. For the ionic solid sodium chloride, the lattice energy is the enthalpy change of the process:
26.9K
02:42Valence Bond Theory
11.4K
Coordination compounds and complexes exhibit different colors, geometries, and magnetic behavior, depending on the metal atom/ion and ligands from which they are composed. In an attempt to explain the bonding and structure of coordination complexes, Linus Pauling proposed the valence bond theory, or VBT, using the concepts of hybridization and the overlapping of the atomic orbitals. According to VBT, the central metal atom or ion (Lewis acid) hybridizes to provide empty orbitals of suitable...
11.4K
01:23Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes
1.3K
In the absence of an external magnetic field, nuclear spin states are degenerate and randomly oriented. When a magnetic field is applied, the spins begin to precess and orient themselves along (lower energy) or against (higher energy) the direction of the field. At equilibrium, a slight excess population of spins exists in the lower energy state. Because the direction of the magnetic field is fixed as the z-axis, the precessing magnetic moments are randomly oriented around the z-axis.
1.3K
02:33Lattice Centering and Coordination Number
13.4K
The structure of a crystalline solid, whether a metal or not, is best described by considering its simplest repeating unit, which is referred to as its unit cell. The unit cell consists of lattice points that represent the locations of atoms or ions. The entire structure then consists of this unit cell repeating in three dimensions. The three different types of unit cells present in the cubic lattice are illustrated in Figure 1.
Types of Unit Cells
Imagine taking a large number of identical...
Types of Unit Cells
Imagine taking a large number of identical...
13.4K
02:58Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes
31.3K
Crystal Field Theory
To explain the observed behavior of transition metal complexes (such as colors), a model involving electrostatic interactions between the electrons from the ligands and the electrons in the unhybridized d orbitals of the central metal atom has been developed. This electrostatic model is crystal field theory (CFT). It helps to understand, interpret, and predict the colors, magnetic behavior, and some structures of coordination compounds of transition metals.
CFT focuses on...
To explain the observed behavior of transition metal complexes (such as colors), a model involving electrostatic interactions between the electrons from the ligands and the electrons in the unhybridized d orbitals of the central metal atom has been developed. This electrostatic model is crystal field theory (CFT). It helps to understand, interpret, and predict the colors, magnetic behavior, and some structures of coordination compounds of transition metals.
CFT focuses on...
31.3K
01:03Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Overview
2.1K
NMR-active nuclei have energy levels called 'spin states' that are associated with the orientations of their nuclear magnetic moments. In the absence of a magnetic field, the nuclear magnetic moments are randomly oriented, and the spin states are degenerate. When an external magnetic field is applied, the spin states have only 2 + 1 orientations available to them. A proton with = ½ has two available orientations. Similarly, for a quadrupolar nucleus with a nuclear spin value of one, the...
2.1K