Exploring higher-dimensional topological physics with photons

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• Dr Hannah Price (School of Physics and Astronomy)
• Wednesday 05 December 2018, 14:00-15:00
• Watson Building LT C (G24).

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Dr Miguel Navarro-Cia.

Dimensionality plays a key role in our understanding of topological phases of matter, with different topological invariants characterising systems with different numbers of spatial dimensions. In a 2D quantum Hall system, for example, the robust quantisation of the Hall response is related to the first Chern number: a 2D topological invariant of the electronic energy bands. Interestingly, it has been shown that such quantum Hall physics can be generalized mathematically to higher dimensions, with the next new quantum Hall effect arising in four dimensions. In this talk, I will introduce the physics of the 4D quantum Hall effect, before discussing recent advances in photonics towards simulating this effect using the techniques of “synthetic dimensions” and “topological pumping”. These advances have set the stage for the future exploration of the novel topological physics that can emerge in higher dimensions.

This talk is part of the Metamaterials and Nanophotonics Group Seminars series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• Bham Talks
• Metamaterials and Nanophotonics Group Seminars
• Watson Building LT C (G24)
• What's on in Physics?

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