Observation of Quantized Heating Rate in Ultracold Topological Matter

An international collaboration of researchers from University of Hamburg, Université libre de Bruxelles, and RIKEN iTHEMS observed quantized heating rate, demonstrating a novel universal probe for topological states of matter. The experiment was performed using a gas of ultracold potassium atoms. The researchers looked for the difference in heating rate upong "shaking" the system clock-wise and counter-clock-wise, and confirmed that this different is quantized to the value of the "Chern number" of the system, a topological invariant characterizing a two-dimensional system. The experiment took place in Hamburg, with theoretical collaborations from theorists in Bruxelles and RIKEN iTHEMS.