Topological bands for ultracold atoms Cooper, N R; Dalibard, J; Spielman, I B
Reviews of modern physics,
01/2019, Volume:
91, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
There have been significant recent advances in realizing band structures with geometrical and topological features in experiments on cold atomic gases. This review summarizes these developments, ...beginning with a summary of the key concepts of geometry and topology for Bloch bands. Descriptions are given of the different methods that have been used to generate these novel band structures for cold atoms and of the physical observables that have allowed their characterization. The focus is on the physical principles that underlie the different experimental approaches, providing a conceptual framework within which to view these developments. Also described is how specific experimental implementations can influence physical properties. Moving beyond single-particle effects, descriptions are given of the forms of interparticle interactions that emerge when atoms are subjected to these energy bands and of some of the many-body phases that may be sought in future experiments.
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Sixty years ago, Karplus and Luttinger pointed out that quantum particles moving on a lattice could acquire an anomalous transverse velocity in response to a force, providing an explanation for the ...unusual Hall effect in ferromagnetic metals. A striking manifestation of this transverse transport was then revealed in the quantum Hall effect where the plateaux depicted by the Hall conductivity were attributed to a topological invariant characterizing the Bloch bands: the Chern number. Until now, topological transport associated with non-zero Chern numbers has only been observed in electronic systems. Here we use the transverse deflection of an atomic cloud in response to an optical gradient to measure the Chern number of artificially generated Hofstadter bands. These topological bands are very flat and thus constitute good candidates for the realization of fractional Chern insulators. Combining these deflection measurements with the determination of the band populations, we obtain an experimental value for the Chern number of the lowest band νexp = 0.99(5). This first Chern-number measurement in a non-electronic system is facilitated by an all-optical artificial gauge field scheme, generating uniform flux in optical superlattices.
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We show that simple laser configurations can give rise to "optical flux lattices," in which optically dressed atoms experience a periodic effective magnetic flux with high mean density. These ...potentials lead to narrow energy bands with nonzero Chern numbers. Optical flux lattices will greatly facilitate the achievement of the quantum Hall regime for ultracold atomic gases.
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Quantum Quenches in Chern Insulators Caio, M D; Cooper, N R; Bhaseen, M J
Physical review letters,
2015-Dec-04, Volume:
115, Issue:
23
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
We explore the nonequilibrium response of Chern insulators. Focusing on the Haldane model, we study the dynamics induced by quantum quenches between topological and nontopological phases. A notable ...feature is that the Chern number, calculated for an infinite system, is unchanged under the dynamics following such a quench. However, in finite geometries, the initial and final Hamiltonians are distinguished by the presence or absence of edge modes. We study the edge excitations and describe their impact on the experimentally observable edge currents and magnetization. We show that, following a quantum quench, the edge currents relax towards new equilibrium values, and that there is light-cone spreading of the currents into the interior of the sample.
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In this article, we review developments in the theory of rapidly rotating degenerate atomic gases. The main focus is on the equilibrium properties of a single-component atomic Bose gas, which (at ...least at rest) forms a Bose-Einstein condensate. Rotation leads to the formation of quantized vortices which order into a vortex array, in close analogy with the behaviour of superfluid helium. Under conditions of rapid rotation, when the vortex density becomes large, atomic Bose gases offer the possibility to explore the physics of quantized vortices in novel parameter regimes. First, there is an interesting regime in which the vortices become sufficiently dense that their cores, as set by the healing length, start to overlap. In this regime, the theoretical description simplifies, allowing a reduction to single-particle states in the lowest Landau level. Second, one can envisage entering a regime of very high vortex density, when the number of vortices becomes comparable to the number of particles in the gas. In this regime, theory predicts the appearance of a series of strongly correlated phases, which can be viewed as bosonic versions of fractional quantum Hall states. In this article, we describe the equilibrium properties of rapidly rotating atomic Bose gases in both the mean-field and the strongly correlated regimes, and related theoretical developments for Bose gases in lattices, for multi-component Bose gases and for atomic Fermi gases. The current experimental situation and outlook for the future are discussed in light of these theoretical developments.
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Moiré excitons promise a new platform with which to generate and manipulate hybrid quantum phases of light and matter in unprecedented regimes of interaction strength. We explore the properties in ...this regime, through studies of a Bose-Hubbard model of excitons coupled to cavity photons. We show that the steady states exhibit a rich phase diagram with pronounced bistabilities governed by multiphoton resonances reflecting the strong interexciton interactions. In the presence of an incoherent pumping of excitons we find that the system can realize single- and multiphoton lasers.
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We study fermions that are gauge coupled to a cavity mode via Raman-assisted hopping in a one-dimensional lattice. For an infinite lattice, we find a superradiant phase with an infinitesimal pumping ...threshold which induces a directed particle flow. We explore the fate of this flow in a finite lattice with boundaries, studying the nonequilibrium dynamics including fluctuation effects. The short-time dynamics is dominated by superradiance, while the long-time behavior is governed by cavity fluctuations. We show that the steady state in the finite lattice is not unique and can be understood in terms of coherent bosonic excitations above a Fermi surface in real space.
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NK cells have therapeutic potential for a wide variety of human malignancies. However, because NK cells expand poorly in vitro, have limited life spans in vivo, and represent a small fraction of ...peripheral white blood cells, obtaining sufficient cell numbers is the major obstacle for NK-cell immunotherapy. Genetically-engineered artificial antigen-presenting cells (aAPCs) expressing membrane-bound IL-15 (mbIL15) have been used to propagate clinical-grade NK cells for human trials of adoptive immunotherapy, but ex vivo proliferation has been limited by telomere shortening. We developed K562-based aAPCs with membrane-bound IL-21 (mbIL21) and assessed their ability to support human NK-cell proliferation. In contrast to mbIL15, mbIL21-expressing aAPCs promoted log-phase NK cell expansion without evidence of senescence for up to 6 weeks of culture. By day 21, parallel expansion of NK cells from 22 donors demonstrated a mean 47,967-fold expansion (median 31,747) when co-cultured with aAPCs expressing mbIL21 compared to 825-fold expansion (median 325) with mbIL15. Despite the significant increase in proliferation, mbIL21-expanded NK cells also showed a significant increase in telomere length compared to freshly obtained NK cells, suggesting a possible mechanism for their sustained proliferation. NK cells expanded with mbIL21 were similar in phenotype and cytotoxicity to those expanded with mbIL15, with retained donor KIR repertoires and high expression of NCRs, CD16, and NKG2D, but had superior cytokine secretion. The mbIL21-expanded NK cells showed increased transcription of the activating receptor CD160, but otherwise had remarkably similar mRNA expression profiles of the 96 genes assessed. mbIL21-expanded NK cells had significant cytotoxicity against all tumor cell lines tested, retained responsiveness to inhibitory KIR ligands, and demonstrated enhanced killing via antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity. Thus, aAPCs expressing mbIL21 promote improved proliferation of human NK cells with longer telomeres and less senescence, supporting their clinical use in propagating NK cells for adoptive immunotherapy.
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