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Main Authors: Peter, Jonah S., Ostermann, Stefan, Yelin, Susanne F.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2023
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.09303
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author Peter, Jonah S.
Ostermann, Stefan
Yelin, Susanne F.
author_facet Peter, Jonah S.
Ostermann, Stefan
Yelin, Susanne F.
contents Spin-orbit coupling is of fundamental interest in both quantum optical and condensed matter systems alike. In this work, we show that optically induced electronic excitations in lattices of V-type atoms exhibit an emergent spin-orbit coupling when the geometry is chiral. This spin-orbit coupling arises naturally from the electric dipole interaction between the atomic sites and leads to a nontrivial topology for the lattice band structure. Using a general quantum optical model, we determine analytically the conditions that give rise to spin-orbit coupling and characterize the behavior under various symmetry transformations. We demonstrate that chirality-induced spin-orbit coupling can result from either the chirality of the underlying lattice geometry or the combination of an achiral lattice with a suitably chosen external quantization axis. We then discuss how these results are influenced by dissipation, which breaks time-reversal symmetry and illuminates the distinction between true and false chirality. Our results demonstrate that chiral atom arrays are a robust platform for realizing spin-orbit-coupled topological states of matter.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2311_09303
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Chirality-induced emergent spin-orbit coupling in topological atomic lattices
Peter, Jonah S.
Ostermann, Stefan
Yelin, Susanne F.
Quantum Physics
Spin-orbit coupling is of fundamental interest in both quantum optical and condensed matter systems alike. In this work, we show that optically induced electronic excitations in lattices of V-type atoms exhibit an emergent spin-orbit coupling when the geometry is chiral. This spin-orbit coupling arises naturally from the electric dipole interaction between the atomic sites and leads to a nontrivial topology for the lattice band structure. Using a general quantum optical model, we determine analytically the conditions that give rise to spin-orbit coupling and characterize the behavior under various symmetry transformations. We demonstrate that chirality-induced spin-orbit coupling can result from either the chirality of the underlying lattice geometry or the combination of an achiral lattice with a suitably chosen external quantization axis. We then discuss how these results are influenced by dissipation, which breaks time-reversal symmetry and illuminates the distinction between true and false chirality. Our results demonstrate that chiral atom arrays are a robust platform for realizing spin-orbit-coupled topological states of matter.
title Chirality-induced emergent spin-orbit coupling in topological atomic lattices
topic Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.09303