Observation of chiral edge states with neutral fermions in synthetic Hall ribbons

• Autores: M. Mancini, G. Pagano, G. Cappellini
• Localización: Science, ISSN 0036-8075, Vol. 349, Nº 6255, 2015, págs. 1510-1513
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Chiral edge states are a hallmark of quantum Hall physics. In electronic systems, they appear as a macroscopic consequence of the cyclotron orbits induced by a magnetic field, which are naturally truncated at the physical boundary of the sample. Here we report on the experimental realization of chiral edge states in a ribbon geometry with an ultracold gas of neutral fermions subjected to an artificial gauge field. By imaging individual sites along a synthetic dimension, encoded in the nuclear spin of the atoms, we detect the existence of the edge states and observe the edge-cyclotron orbits induced during quench dynamics. The realization of fermionic chiral edge states opens the door for edge state interferometry and the study of non-Abelian anyons in atomic systems.