Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 2, 2025

12:35
Atomically Traceable Nanostructure Fabrication
Published on: July 17, 2015
8.9K
"Designing synthetic topological matter with atoms and lights"
Entong Zhao1, Chengdong He1, Gyu-Boong Jo2,3
1Department of Physics, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
Light, Science & Applications
|March 1, 2022
Summary
Scientists are advancing quantum simulations using ultracold atoms to explore topological matter. They have successfully demonstrated iconic lattice models with non-trivial band topology through controlled atom-light interactions.
Area of Science:
- Quantum Simulation
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Atomic Physics
Background:
- Investigating exotic topological matter is a key frontier in quantum simulations.
- Ultracold atom systems offer a controllable platform for exploring complex quantum phenomena.
Purpose of the Study:
- To expand the capability of quantum simulations for studying topological matter.
- To demonstrate iconic lattice models exhibiting non-trivial band topology.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing sophisticated atom-light couplings within an atomic system.
- Engineering controlled experimental conditions for quantum simulations.
Main Results:
- Successfully demonstrated several iconic lattice models.
- These models exhibit non-trivial band topology.
Conclusions:
- Atom-light couplings in ultracold atoms are effective for realizing topological matter.
- This approach advances the controlled investigation of quantum topological phenomena.
Related Concept Videos
The Atomic Theory of Matter
120.4K
The earliest recorded discussion of the basic structure of matter comes from ancient Greek philosophers. Leucippus and Democritus argued that all matter was composed of small, finite particles that they called atomos, meaning “indivisible.” Later, Aristotle and others came to the conclusion that matter consisted of various combinations of the four “elements” — fire, earth, air, and water — and could be infinitely divided. Interestingly, these philosophers...
120.4K
The Wave Nature of Light
54.4K
The nature of light has been a subject of inquiry since antiquity. In the seventeenth century, Isaac Newton performed experiments with lenses and prisms and was able to demonstrate that white light consists of the individual colors of the rainbow combined together. Newton explained his optics findings in terms of a "corpuscular" view of light, in which light was composed of streams of extremely tiny particles traveling at high speeds according to Newton's laws of motion.
54.4K
The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom
50.7K
Shortly after de Broglie published his ideas that the electron in a hydrogen atom could be better thought of as being a circular standing wave instead of a particle moving in quantized circular orbits, Erwin Schrödinger extended de Broglie’s work by deriving what is now known as the Schrödinger equation. When Schrödinger applied his equation to hydrogen-like atoms, he was able to reproduce Bohr’s expression for the energy and, thus, the Rydberg formula governing hydrogen spectra.
50.7K
Atomic Orbitals
37.9K
An atomic orbital represents the three-dimensional regions in an atom where an electron has the highest probability to reside. The radial distribution function indicates the total probability of finding an electron within the thin shell at a distance r from the nucleus. The atomic orbitals have distinct shapes which are determined by l, the angular momentum quantum number. The orbitals are often drawn with a boundary surface, enclosing densest regions of the cloud.
37.9K
Synthetic Biology
5.0K
Synthetic biology is an interdisciplinary science that involves using principles from disciplines such as engineering, molecular biology, cell biology, and systems biology. It involves remodeling existing organisms from nature or constructing completely new synthetic organisms for applications such as protein or enzyme production, bioremediation, value-added macromolecule production, and the addition of desirable traits to crops, to name a few.
Golden rice
Golden rice is a genetically modified...
Golden rice
Golden rice is a genetically modified...
5.0K
Atomic Structure
14.9K
The Greek philosopher Democritus proposed that everything on Earth is made up of tiny particles called atomos, Greek for "indivisible," from which the modern term "atom" is derived. In the 19th century, John Dalton proposed the atomic theory that is still largely correct today. He put forth five postulates to explain how atoms made up the world around us. (1) All matter is composed of infinitely small particles or atoms. (2) All atoms of a given element are identical to one...
14.9K

