DFG FOR 2414 Annual Workshop 2018

The DFG-Research Unit 2414 is a collaboration of experimental groups in Barcelona, Hamburg and Munich and theoretical groups in Dresden, Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Göttingen, Hamburg and Paris.

Our goal is to theoretically investigate and experimentally realize novel topological states of matter induced by synthetic gauge fields in ultracold atoms in optical lattices. In these setups, atoms are suitably coupled to laser fileds that generate effective gauge potentials. These systems can mimic the dynamics of electrons moving in a magnetic field, but also the dynamics of elementary particles in non-Abelian gauge fields. A variety of exotic quantum phenomena can arise here, where topology plays a fundamental role: from the existence of topological invariants and topologically protected edge currents to the emergence of quasiparticles with exotic braiding statistics. These fascinating effects are at the focus of current theoretical and experimental research, as they also hold the promise to revolutionize quanturm information processing. Thus, the experimental realization of artificial gauge fields for neutral ultracold atoms has opened a door to the quantum simulation of topological quantum effects in novel, unprecedentedly well controlled environments. We expect our combined effort to bring both the theoretical understanding and the experimental realization of topological matter to a new level, paving the way towards future applications in quantum information processing and spintronics.

The IG-Farben Building at Campus Westend of the Goethe University in Frankfurt.