Manipulating Topological Edge Spins in One-Dimensional Optical Lattice

TL;DR

This paper proposes a method to observe and control topological edge spins in a 1D optical lattice, enabling potential quantum computing applications through manipulation of topological spin-qubits.

Contribution

It introduces a scheme to realize and manipulate topological edge spins in a 1D optical lattice, combining experimental feasibility with quantum information potential.

Findings

Topological edge spins can be realized in 1D optical lattices.

Zero edge modes form topological spin-qubits with opposite polarization.

A scheme for single spin control of topological spin-qubits is demonstrated.

Abstract

We propose to observe and manipulate topological edge spins in 1D 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 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 optical lattice. The manipulation of TSQs has potential applications to quantum computation.