Edge Transport in 2D Cold Atom Optical Lattices

TL;DR

This paper investigates how edge currents in 2D cold atom optical lattices can be observed and related to topological properties, using theoretical models and potential experimental detection methods.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework connecting edge currents in cold atom systems to measurable quantities and topological invariants like the Chern number.

Findings

Edge currents can be related to time of flight measurements.

Persistent edge currents surround a Mott insulator in a rotating Bose-Hubbard system.

Detection of Chern number via edge current measurements is feasible.

Abstract

We theoretically study the observable response of edge currents in two dimensional cold atom optical lattices. As an example we use Gutzwiller mean-field theory to relate persistent edge currents surrounding a Mott insulator in a slowly rotating trapped Bose-Hubbard system to time of flight measurements. We briefly discuss an application, the detection of Chern number using edge currents of a topologically ordered optical lattice insulator.