119293149
Particle-number fractionalization of a one-dimensional atomic Fermi gas with synthetic spin-orbit coupling
We propose an experimental scheme to simulate the fractionalization of the particle number by using a one-dimensionalspin-orbit-coupledultracoldfermionicgas.Thedesiredspin-orbitcoupling,akinklikepotential, andaconjugation-symmetry-breakingmasstermareproperlyconstructedbylaser-atominteractions,leadingtoan effectivelow-energyrelativisticDiracHamiltonianwithatopologicallynontrivialbackgroundfield.Thedesigned system supports a localized soliton excitation with a fractional particle number that is generally irrational and experimentally tunable, providing a direct realization of the celebrated generalized Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model. In addition, we elaborate on how to detect the induced soliton mode with the fractional particle number in the system.
43174093
Delocalization of relativistic dirac particles in disordered one-dimensional systems and its implementation with cold atoms.
We study theoretically the localization of relativistic particles in disordered one-dimensional chains. It is found that the relativistic particles tend to delocalization in comparison with the nonrelativistic particles with the same disorder strength. More intriguingly, we reveal that the massless Dirac particles are entirely delocalized for any energy due to the inherent chiral symmetry, leading to a well-known result that particles are always localized in one-dimensional systems for arbitrary weak disorders to break down. Furthermore, we propose a feasible scheme to detect the delocalization feature of the Dirac particles with cold atoms in a light-induced gauge field.
117851662
The emergence of Hopf term and the marginality of Dirac model
The subtle relation of the marginality of Dirac model and the emergence of the Hopf term through a Yukawa-type interaction is revealed in this work. We show that the improvement of the marginality of Dirac mode through an infinitesimal non-relativistic term, which is irrelevant for renormalization group, is necessary to emerge the Hopf term. It is found that the appearance of the Hopf term is always accompanied with chiral boundary modes, and the sign of the coupling constant of the infinitesimal non-relativistic term decides their chirality. A lattice Dirac model is also constructed to realize the Hopf term.
119162570
Revealing Majorana fermion states in a superfluid of cold atoms subject to a harmonic potential
We here explore Majorana fermion states in an $s$-wave superfluid of cold atoms in the presence of spin-orbital coupling and an additional harmonic potential. The superfluid boundary is induced by a harmonic trap. Two locally separated Majorana fermion states are revealed numerically based on the self-consistent Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations. The local density of states is calculated, through which the signatures of Majorana excitations may be indicated experimentally.
30708364
Topological classification and stability of Fermi surfaces.
In the framework of the Cartan classification of Hamiltonians, a kind of topological classification of Fermi surfaces is established in terms of topological charges. The topological charge of a Fermi surface depends on its codimension and the class to which its Hamiltonian belongs. It is revealed that six types of topological charges exist, and they form two groups with respect to the chiral symmetry, with each group consisting of one original charge and two descendants. It is these nontrivial topological charges which lead to the robust topological protection of the corresponding Fermi surfaces against perturbations that preserve discrete symmetries.
279557
Topological quantum phase transitions and edge states in spin-orbital coupled Fermi gases
We study superconducting states in the presence of spin-orbital coupling and Zeeman field. It is found that a phase transition from a Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov state to the topological superconducting state occurs upon increasing the spin-orbital coupling. The nature of this topological phase transition and its critical property are investigated numerically. Physical properties of the topological superconducting phase are also explored. Moreover, the local density of states is calculated, through which the topological feature may be tested experimentally.
4372235
A debris disk around an isolated young neutron star
Pulsars are rotating, magnetized neutron stars that are born in supernova explosions following the collapse of the cores of massive stars. If some of the explosion ejecta fails to escape, it may fall back onto the neutron star or it may possess sufficient angular momentum to form a disk. Such ‘fallback’ is both a general prediction of current supernova models and, if the material pushes the neutron star over its stability limit, a possible mode of black hole formation. Fallback disks could dramatically affect the early evolution of pulsars, yet there are few observational constraints on whether significant fallback occurs or even the actual existence of such disks. Here we report the discovery of mid-infrared emission from a cool disk around an isolated young X-ray pulsar. The disk does not power the pulsar's X-ray emission but is passively illuminated by these X-rays. The estimated mass of the disk is of the order of 10 Earth masses, and its lifetime (≥ 106 years) significantly exceeds the spin-down age of the pulsar, supporting a supernova fallback origin. The disk resembles protoplanetary disks seen around ordinary young stars, suggesting the possibility of planet formation around young neutron stars.
19017470
Topological properties of Abelian and non-Abelian quantum Hall states classified using patterns of zeros
It has been shown that different Abelian and non-Abelian fractional quantum Hall states can be characterized by patterns of zeros described by sequences of integers ${{S}_{a}}$. In this paper, we will show how to use the data ${{S}_{a}}$ to calculate various topological properties of the corresponding fraction quantum Hall state, such as the number of possible quasiparticle types and their quantum numbers, as well as the actions of the quasiparticle tunneling and modular transformations on the degenerate ground states on torus.
925818
Topological order parameters for interacting topological insulators.
We propose a topological order parameter for interacting topological insulators, expressed in terms of the full Green's functions of the interacting system. We show that it is exactly quantized for a time-reversal invariant topological insulator, and it can be experimentally measured through the topological magneto-electric effect. This topological order parameter can be applied to both interacting and disordered systems, and used for determining their phase diagrams.
9937378
A MID-INFRARED COUNTERPART TO THE MAGNETAR 1E 2259+586
We report the discovery of a 4.5μm counterpart to the anomalous X-ray pulsar (magnetar) 1E 2259+586 with 
the Spitzer Space Telescope. The mid-infrared flux density is 6.3 ± 1.0μJy at 4.5μm and <20 μJy (at 95% 
confidence) at 8μm, or 0.02% of the 2–10 keV X-ray flux (corrected for extinction). Combining our Spitzer 
measurements with previously published near-infrared data, we show that the overall infrared emission from 1E 
2259+586 is qualitatively similar to that from the magnetar 4U 0142+61. Therefore, the passive X-ray-heated dust 
disk model originally developed for 4U 0142+61 might also apply to 1E 2259+586. However, the IR data from 
this source can also be fitted by a simple power-law spectrum as might be expected from magnetospheric emission.
18804785
Spitzer Imaging of nearby ULIRGs and their Progeny: Fine-Structure Elliptical Galaxies
We present results from two mid-infrared imaging programs of ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) and fine-structure elliptical galaxies. The former are known to nearly all be recent mergers between two gas-rich spiral galaxies, while the latter are also believed to be even more aged merger remnants. An examination of these two classes of objects, which may represent different stages of the same putative merger sequence, should reveal similarities in the distribution of their stellar populations and dust content consistent with that expected for time-evolution of the merger. The data reveal for the first time extended dust emission in the ULIRG galaxy bodies and along their tidal features. However, contrary to expectation, we find that the vast majority of the fine-structure elliptical galaxies lack such structured emission. This likely results from the optical selection of the elliptical sample, resulting in a population that reflects the IR-activity (or lack thereof) of optically selected interacting galaxies. Alternately, this may reflect an evolutionary process in the distribution of the dust content of the galaxy bodies.