title: Manipulating topological edge spins in a one-dimensional optical lattice.
abstract: We propose to observe and manipulate topological edge spins in a one-dimensional optical lattice based on currently available experimental platforms. Coupling the atomic spin states to a laser-induced periodic Zeeman field, the lattice system can be driven into a symmetry protected topological (SPT) phase, which belongs to the chiral unitary (AIII) class protected by particle number conservation and chiral symmetries. In the free-fermion case the SPT phase is classified by a Z invariant which reduces to Z(4) with interactions. The zero edge modes of the SPT phase are spin polarized, with left and right edge spins polarized to opposite directions and forming a topological spin qubit (TSQ). We demonstrate a novel scheme to manipulate the zero modes and realize single spin control in an optical lattice. The manipulation of TSQs has potential applications to quantum computation.
authors.affiliation: Joint Quantum Institute, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA and Condensed Matter Theory Center, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA and Department of Physics, Institute for Advanced Study, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Xiong-Jun
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Institute for Advanced Study, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China and Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Zheng-Xin
authors.initials: ZX
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Condensed Matter Theory Center, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cheng