Controllable tunability of a Chern number within the electronic-nuclear spin system in diamond

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates controllable transitions of Chern numbers in an electronic-nuclear spin system in diamond, revealing topological phase changes and potential for exploring exotic topologies and quantum information applications.

Contribution

It introduces a method to controllably induce and measure Chern number transitions in a diamond NV center system, linking topological phases with quantum spin systems.

Findings

Chern number transitions from 0 to 3 were experimentally demonstrated.

The topological phase diagram aligns with numerical simulations.

The system can potentially access higher Chern numbers for advanced topological studies.

Abstract

Chern numbers are gaining traction as they characterize topological phases in various physical systems. However, the resilience of the system topology to external perturbations makes it challenging to experimentally investigate transitions between different phases. In this study, we demonstrate the transitions of Chern number from 0 to 3, synthesized in an electronic-nuclear spin system associated with the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centre in diamond. The Chern number is characterized by the number of degeneracies enclosed in a control Hamiltonian parameter sphere. The topological transitions between different phases are depicted by varying the radius and offset of the sphere. We show that the measured topological phase diagram is not only consistent with the numerical calculations but can also be mapped onto an interacting three-qubit system. The NV system may also allow access to even higher Chern numbers, which can be applied to exploring exotic topology or topological quantum information.