We investigate the properties of an atom under the influence of a synthetic three-dimensional spin–orbit coupling (Weyl coupling) in the presence of a harmonic trap. The conservation of total angular momentum provides a numerically efficient scheme for finding the spectrum …
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 …
Review article: Detection of topological matter with quantum gases Read more »
Solitons—solitary waves that maintain their shape as they propagate—occur as water waves in narrow canals, as light pulses in optical fibres and as quantum mechanical matter waves in superfluids and superconductors. Their highly nonlinear and localized nature makes them very …
We all wish Lindsay the best as she moves on to her new Assistant Professor position at the University of Alberta, Edmonton! In her time in the group, Linsday lead two fantastically successful experiments, first measuring the Hall effect in a …
Lindsay LeBlanc starts at the University of Alberta, Edmonton Read more »
Zitterbewegung, a force-free trembling motion first predicted for relativistic fermions like electrons, was an unexpected consequence of the Dirac equation’s unification of quantum mechanics and special relativity. Though the oscillatory motion’s large frequency and small amplitude have precluded its measurement with electrons, zitterbewegung is …
Direct observation of zitterbewegung in a Bose–Einstein condensate Read more »
Citation: For innovative and pioneering work in quantum phenomena at the intersection of atomic and condensed matter physics, using quantum simulation with ultracold atoms, including the use of optical interactions to create artificial electromagnetic fields and spin-orbit coupling.
We are delighted and proud that Karina has been selected as a finalist for the 2013 DAMOP thesis prize! Karina (remotely) presented her thesis research in the special Prize Session at DAMOP this year.
Electronic properties such as current flow are generally independent of the electron’s spin angular momentum, an internal degree of freedom possessed by quantum particles. The spin Hall effect, first proposed 40 years ago, is an unusual class of phenomena in …
The Aubry-André or Harper (AAH) model has been the subject of extensive theoretical research in the context of quantum localization. Recently, it was shown that one-dimensional quasicrystals described by the incommensurate AAH model has a nontrivial topology. In this Letter, …
Topological Zero-Energy Modes in Gapless Commensurate Aubry-André-Harper Models Read more »
An integrated optical dipole trap uses two-color (red and blue-detuned) traveling evanescent wave fields for trapping cold neutral atoms. To achieve longitudinal confinement, we propose using an integrated optical waveguide coupler, which provides a potential gradient along the beam propagation …
Integrated optical dipole trap for cold neutral atoms with an optical waveguide coupler Read more »