Topological Quantum Optics in Two-Dimensional Atomic Arrays

17 Jul 2017  ·  Perczel Janos, Borregaard Johannes, Chang Darrick E., Pichler Hannes, Yelin Susanne F., Zoller Peter, Lukin Mikhail D. ·

We demonstrate that two-dimensional atomic emitter arrays with subwavelength spacing constitute topologically protected quantum optical systems where the photon propagation is robust against large imperfections while losses associated with free space emission are strongly suppressed. Breaking time-reversal symmetry with a magnetic field results in gapped photonic bands with non-trivial Chern numbers and topologically protected, long-lived edge states. Due to the inherent nonlinearity of constituent emitters, such systems provide a platform for exploring quantum optical analogues of interacting topological systems.

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Quantum Physics Atomic Physics Optics