Measuring topology by dynamics: Chern number from linking number
Abstract
Integer-valued topological indices, characterizing nonlocal properties of quantum states of matter, are known to directly predict robust physical properties of equilibrium systems. The Chern number, e.g., determines the quantized Hall conductivity of an insulator. Using fermionic atoms in a periodically driven optical lattice, here we demonstrate experimentally that the Chern number determines also the far-from-equilibrium dynamics of a quantum system. Following the proposal of ref. [Wang et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 185701 (2017)] and extending it to Floquet systems, we measure the linking number that characterizes the trajectories of momentum-space vortices emerging after a strong quench. We observe that it directly corresponds to the ground-state Chern number. This one-to-one relation between a dynamical and a static topological index allows us to experimentally map out the phase diagram of our system. Furthermore, we measure the instantaneous Chern number and show that it remains zero under the unitary dynamics.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1709.01046,
title = {Measuring topology by dynamics: Chern number from linking number},
author = {Matthias Tarnowski and F. Nur Ünal and Nick Fläschner and Benno S. Rem and André Eckardt and Klaus Sengstock and Christof Weitenberg},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1709.01046},
year = {2019}
}
Comments
v3: typos in supplementary corrected. v4: extended version of the manuscript including analysis of instantaneous Chern number