Chiral Gravitons on the Lattice

TL;DR

This paper develops a theoretical framework and provides numerical evidence for the existence of chiral graviton modes in lattice models, specifically within the bosonic Harper-Hofstadter model, and proposes experimental probes for their detection.

Contribution

The authors derive a lattice field theory for chiral gravitons and demonstrate their persistence in lattice models beyond the continuum limit, supported by numerical simulations.

Findings

Chiral graviton modes exist in the Harper-Hofstadter model.

Lattice operators effectively capture chiral graviton excitations.

Geometric quenches can serve as experimental probes.

Abstract

Chiral graviton modes are elusive excitations arising from the hidden quantum geometry of fractional quantum Hall states. It remains unclear, however, whether this picture extends to lattice models, where continuum translations are broken and additional quasiparticle decay channels arise. We present a framework in which we explicitly derive a field theory incorporating lattice chiral graviton operators within the paradigmatic bosonic Harper-Hofstadter model. Extensive numerical evidence suggests that chiral graviton modes persist away from the continuum, and are well captured by the proposed lattice operators. We identify geometric quenches as a viable experimental probe, paving the way for the exploration of chiral gravitons in near-term quantum simulation experiments.