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Topologically protected edge states in small Rydberg systems

Quantum Gases 2018-07-25 v1 Atomic Physics Quantum Physics

Abstract

We propose a simple setup of Rydberg atoms in a honeycomb lattice which gives rise to topologically protected edge states. The proposal is based on the combination of dipolar exchange interaction, which couples the internal angular momentum and the orbital degree of freedom of a Rydberg excitation, and a static magnetic field breaking time reversal symmetry. We demonstrate that for realistic experimental parameters, signatures of topologically protected edge states are present in small systems with as few as 10 atoms. Our analysis paves the way for the experimental realization of Rydberg systems characterized by a topological invariant, providing a promising setup for future application in quantum information.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1803.05293,
  title  = {Topologically protected edge states in small Rydberg systems},
  author = {Sebastian Weber and Sylvain de Léséleuc and Vincent Lienhard and Daniel Barredo and Thierry Lahaye and Antoine Browaeys and Hans Peter Büchler},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1803.05293},
  year   = {2018}
}

Comments

6 pages, 6 figures

R2 v1 2026-06-23T00:52:57.038Z