Erlangen 2018 – scientific programme

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A: Fachverband Atomphysik

A 12: Cold atoms IV - topological systems (joint session A/Q)

A 12.2: Talk

Monday, March 5, 2018, 16:30–16:45, K 0.011

Local topological invariant of an interacting, time-reversal-symmetric Hofstadter interface — •Bernhard Irsigler, Jun-hui Zheng, and Walter Hofstetter — Institut für Theoretische Physik, Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main

Two-dimensional topological insulators possess conducting edge states at their boundary while being insulating in the bulk. However, the detection of edge states remains an open question in ultracold atom setups. We propose a configuration to implement a topological interface within the experimentally realizable Hofstadter model which gives rise to a topological phase boundary at the center of the system, and investigate the influence of two-body interactions in a fermionic system. The location of the boundary can in principle be detected via the spatially resolved compressibility of the system with a quantum gas microscope. Furthermore, we compute a local topological invariant through adiabatic pumping which confirms the topological phase separation.