Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.07708 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1866909026623684608 |
|---|---|
| author | Bohm, Julius Anglin, James Fleischhauer, Michael |
| author_facet | Bohm, Julius Anglin, James Fleischhauer, Michael |
| contents | Robust quantization of particle transport, as in a Thouless pump, is a hallmark of topological quantum systems with externally controlled system parameters. Here we instead propose and analyze a Thouless pump, for fermions in a one-dimensional lattice, in which external control is not needed, because an additional dynamical degree of freedom allows the pump to work autonomously. The external control parameters are replaced by a quantum spin in a static magnetic field, so that Larmor precession of the spin performs the control cycle that induces topologically quantized transport of the fermions -- at least in some higher energy eigenstates of the combined system. In other states, the back-action of the fermions on the spin can distort the control cycle enough to disrupt the transport, but we find numerical evidence for a critical value of the magnetic field above which the autonomous pump works with topological robustness, suggesting that topological protection and autonomous operation together may permit robust "quantum motors". |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_07708 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | An Autonomous Topological Pump Bohm, Julius Anglin, James Fleischhauer, Michael Quantum Physics Robust quantization of particle transport, as in a Thouless pump, is a hallmark of topological quantum systems with externally controlled system parameters. Here we instead propose and analyze a Thouless pump, for fermions in a one-dimensional lattice, in which external control is not needed, because an additional dynamical degree of freedom allows the pump to work autonomously. The external control parameters are replaced by a quantum spin in a static magnetic field, so that Larmor precession of the spin performs the control cycle that induces topologically quantized transport of the fermions -- at least in some higher energy eigenstates of the combined system. In other states, the back-action of the fermions on the spin can distort the control cycle enough to disrupt the transport, but we find numerical evidence for a critical value of the magnetic field above which the autonomous pump works with topological robustness, suggesting that topological protection and autonomous operation together may permit robust "quantum motors". |
| title | An Autonomous Topological Pump |
| topic | Quantum Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.07708 |