THERMAL TRANSPORT IN ULTRACOLD TOPOLOGICAL QUANTUM MATTER
Abstract
Quantum materials aim to exploit the collective behavior of interacting many-body quantum systems, and hold great technological promise for future devices. Of particular excitement are ‘topological’ materials, which feature remarkable physics such as fixed conductivities unaffected by disorder, excitations carrying a fraction of an electron’s charge, and directional propagation of energy. While charge and heat flow hand-in-hand in metals, the reorganization of matter into exotic correlated states often induces them to decouple meaning that electrical probes offer a fundamentally limited perspective. Emergent excitations such as Majorana particles can be electrically neutral yet carry energy, and charge and heat can even flow in opposite directions. Recent experiments have revealed new mysteries surrounding this interplay, not explained by current theories and fundamentally difficult to address using electrons in solids. Here, we propose to realize spatially-resolved thermometry of an ultracold gas of atoms moving in a strong artificial magnetic field, which provides a simple ‘toy-model’ topological material. We will implement thermometry by exploiting temperature-dependence of the atoms’ response to a radiofrequency wave, to convert the initial temperature profile into a density pattern which will be imaged using a high-resolution microscope. This platform will be unique in the world, and offer a powerful testbed for exploring transport of heat at the level of individual quantum wavefunctions. Experiments will leverage the exquisite control over interactions, geometry and magnetic fields afforded by ultracold gases to explore thermal transport in a pristine realization of correlated quantum matter. We will use the ultracold atomic toolbox to both address puzzles raised by recent experiments, and to explore entirely new directions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 07, 2023
- Source ID
- FA95502210066
Entities
People
- Richard J Fletcher
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- United States Air Force