Synthetic gauge fields in synthetic dimensions

We describe a simple technique for generating a cold-atom lattice pierced by a uniform magnetic field. Our method is to extend a one-dimensional optical lattice into the "dimension" provided by the internal atomic degrees of freedom, yielding a synthetic two-dimensional lattice. Suitable l...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Physical review letters Vol. 112; no. 4; p. 043001
Main Authors:	Celi, A, Massignan, P, Ruseckas, J, Goldman, N, Spielman, I B, Juzeliūnas, G, Lewenstein, M
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	United States 31-01-2014
Subjects:	Fractal analysis Lasers Lattices Magnetic fields Mathematical analysis Optical lattices Phases Two dimensional
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	We describe a simple technique for generating a cold-atom lattice pierced by a uniform magnetic field. Our method is to extend a one-dimensional optical lattice into the "dimension" provided by the internal atomic degrees of freedom, yielding a synthetic two-dimensional lattice. Suitable laser coupling between these internal states leads to a uniform magnetic flux within the two-dimensional lattice. We show that this setup reproduces the main features of magnetic lattice systems, such as the fractal Hofstadter-butterfly spectrum and the chiral edge states of the associated Chern insulating phases.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0031-9007 1079-7114
DOI:	10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.043001