Topological Swing of Bloch Oscillations in Quantum Walks
Lavi K. Upreti, C. Évain, Stéphane Randoux, Pierre Suret, A. Amo, Pierre Delplace
Abstract
We report new oscillations of wave packets in quantum walks subjected to electric fields, that decorate the usual Bloch-Zener oscillations of insulators. The number of turning points (or suboscillations) within one Bloch period of these oscillations is found to be governed by the winding of the quasienergy spectrum. Thus, this provides a new physical manifestation of a topological property of periodically driven systems that can be probed experimentally. Our model, based on an oriented scattering network, is readily implementable in photonic and cold atomic setups.
Topics & Concepts
Bloch oscillationsQuantum walkSwingPhysicsQuantumQuantum mechanicsTopology (electrical circuits)Quantum computerMathematicsElectronAcousticsCombinatoricsTopological Materials and PhenomenaQuantum and electron transport phenomenaQuantum many-body systems