ICFO – The Institute of Photonic Sciences

About: ICFO – The Institute of Photonic Sciences is a facility organization based out in Barcelona, Spain. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Quantum & Quantum entanglement. The organization has 872 authors who have published 1965 publications receiving 56273 citations.

Symmetry-broken Chern insulators and Rashba-like Landau-level crossings in magic-angle bilayer graphene

Abstract: Flat bands in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG) have recently emerged as a rich platform to explore strong correlations1, superconductivity2–5 and magnetism3,6,7. However, the phases of MATBG in a magnetic field and what they reveal about the zero-field phase diagram remain relatively uncharted. Here we report a rich sequence of wedge-like regions of quantized Hall conductance with Chern numbers C = ±1, ±2, ±3 and ±4, which nucleate from integer fillings of the moire unit cell v = ±3, ±2, ±1 and 0, respectively. We interpret these phases as spin- and valley-polarized many-body Chern insulators. The exact sequence and correspondence of the Chern numbers and filling factors suggest that these states are directly driven by electronic interactions, which specifically break the time-reversal symmetry in the system. We further study the yet unexplored higher-energy dispersive bands with a Rashba-like dispersion. The analysis of Landau-level crossings enables a parameter-free comparison to a newly derived ‘magic series’ of level crossings in a magnetic field and provides constraints on the parameters of the Bistritzer–MacDonald MATBG Hamiltonian. Overall, our data provide direct insights into the complex nature of symmetry breaking in MATBG and allow for the quantitative tests of the proposed microscopic scenarios for its electronic phases. In magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene, topological Chern bands that are driven by electron–electron interactions appear at all the integer fillings of the moire unit cell. The Rashba-like higher-energy bands also show Landau-level crossings.

Three-dimensional droplets of swirling superfluids

Abstract: A method for the creation of three-dimensional (3D) solitary topological modes, corresponding to vortical droplets of a two-component dilute superfluid, is presented. We use the recently introduced system of nonlinearly coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations, which include contact attraction between the components, and quartic repulsion stemming from the Lee-Huang-Yang correction to the mean-field energy. Self-trapped vortex tori, carrying the topological charges ${m}_{1}={m}_{2}=1$ or ${m}_{1}={m}_{2}=2$ in their components, are constructed by means of numerical and approximate analytical methods. The analysis reveals stability regions for the vortex droplets (in broad and relatively narrow parameter regions for ${m}_{1,2}=1$ and ${m}_{1,2}=2$, respectively). The results provide a scenario for the creation of stable 3D self-trapped states with the double vorticity (${m}_{1,2}=2$). The stable modes are shaped as flat-top ones, with the space between the inner hole, induced by the vorticity, and the outer boundary filled by a nearly constant density. On the other hand, all modes with hidden vorticity, i.e., topological charges of the two components ${m}_{1}=\ensuremath{-}{m}_{2}=1$, are unstable. The stability of the droplets with ${m}_{1,2}=1$ against splitting (which is the main scenario of possible instability) is explained by estimating analytically the energy of the split and unsplit states. The predicted results may be implemented, exploiting dilute quantum droplets in mixtures of Bose-Einstein condensates.

Nonlinear second-order photonic topological insulators

Abstract: Higher-order topological insulators are a novel topological phase beyond the framework of conventional bulk–boundary correspondence1,2. In these peculiar systems, the topologically non-trivial boundary modes are characterized by a co-dimension of at least two3,4. Despite several promising preliminary considerations regarding the impact of nonlinearity in such systems5,6, the flourishing field of experimental higher-order topological insulator research has thus far been confined to the linear evolution of topological states. As such, the observation of the interplay between nonlinearity and the dynamics of higher-order topological phases in conservative systems remains elusive. Here we experimentally demonstrate nonlinear higher-order topological corner states. Our photonic platform enables us to observe nonlinear topological corner states as well as the formation of solitons in such topological structures. Our work paves the way towards the exploration of topological properties of matter in the nonlinear regime, and may herald a new class of compact devices that harnesses the intriguing features of topology in an on-demand fashion. The nonlinear properties of photonic topological insulators remain largely unexplored, as band topology is linked to linear systems. But nonlinear topological corner states and solitons can form in a second-order topological insulator, as shown by experiments.

Localization and delocalization of light in photonic moire lattices

Abstract: Moire lattices consist of two identical periodic structures overlaid with a relative rotation angle. Present even in everyday life, moire lattices have been also produced, e.g., with coupled graphene-hexagonal boron nitride monolayers, graphene-graphene layers, and layers on a silicon carbide surface.A fundamental question that remains unexplored is the evolution of waves in the potentials defined by the moire lattices. Here we experimentally create two-dimensional photonic moire lattices, which, unlike their material predecessors, have readily controllable parameters and symmetry allowing to explore transitions between structures with fundamentally different geometries: periodic, general aperiodic and quasi-crystal ones. Equipped with such realization, we observe localization of light in deterministic linear lattices. Such localization is based on at band physics, in contrast to previous schemes based on light difusion in optical quasicrystals,where disorder is required for the onset of Anderson localization. Using commensurable and incommensurable moire patterns, we report the first experimental demonstration of two-dimensional localization-delocalization-transition (LDT) of light. Moire lattices may feature almost arbitrary geometry that is consistent with the crystallographic symmetry groups of the sublattices, and therefore afford a powerful tool to control the properties of light patterns, to explore the physics of transitions between periodic and aperiodic phases, and two-dimensional wavepacket phenomena relevant to several areas of science.

Bistable Topological Insulator with Exciton-Polaritons

Abstract: The functionality of many nonlinear and quantum optical devices relies on the effect of optical bistability. Using microcavity exciton-polaritons in a honeycomb arrangement of microcavity pillars, we report the resonance response and bistability of topological edge states. A balance between the pump, loss, and nonlinearity ensures a broad range of dynamical stability and controls the distribution of power between counterpropagating states on the opposite edges of the honeycomb lattice stripe. Tuning energy and polarization of the pump photons, while keeping their momentum constant, we demonstrate control of the propagation direction of the dominant edge state. Our results facilitate the development of practical applications of topological photonics.