Weyl points in three-dimensional optical lattices: synthetic magnetic monopoles in momentum space

TL;DR

This paper proposes a method to realize Weyl points in ultracold atomic systems using laser-assisted tunneling in 3D optical lattices, enabling the experimental observation of synthetic magnetic monopoles and topological states.

Contribution

It introduces a feasible approach to create Weyl points in ultracold atoms, advancing the experimental study of topological phenomena in quantum systems.

Findings

Weyl points can be realized with laser-assisted tunneling in 3D optical lattices.

Weyl points act as synthetic magnetic monopoles with robust linear dispersion.

The proposed method is within current experimental capabilities.

Abstract

We show that Hamiltonians with Weyl points can be realized for ultracold atoms using laser-assisted tunneling in three-dimensional optical lattices. Weyl points are synthetic magnetic monopoles that exhibit a robust, three-dimensional linear dispersion. They are associated with many interesting topological states of matter, such as Weyl semimetals and chiral Weyl fermions. However, Weyl points have yet to be experimentally observed in any system. We show that this elusive goal is well-within experimental reach with an extension of the techniques recently used to obtain the Harper Hamiltonian.