Abstract

Creating and measuring topological matter - with non-local order deeply embedded in the global structure of its quantum mechanical eigenstates - presents unique experimental challenges. Since this order has no signature in local correlation functions, it might seem experimentally inaccessible in any macroscopic system; however, as the precisely quantized Hall plateaux in integer and fractional quantum Hall systems show, topology can have macroscopic signatures at the system s edges. Ultracold atoms provide new experimental platforms where both the intrinsic topology and the edge behavior can be directly measured. This article reviews, using specific examples, how non-interacting topological matter may be created and measured in quantum gases.

Publication Details
Author
Publication Type
Journal Article
Year of Publication
2013
Volume
525
Number of Pages
797-807
DOI
10.1002/andp.201300110
Journal
Annalen Der Physik
Contributors