Time- and Site-Resolved Dynamics in a Topological Circuit

Abstract

From studies of exotic quantum many-body phenomena to applications in spintronics and quantum information processing, topological materials are poised to revolutionize the condensed-matter frontier and the landscape of modern materials science. Accordingly, there is a broad effort to realize topologically nontrivial electronic and photonic materials for fundamental science as well as practical applications. In this work, we demonstrate the first simultaneous site- and time-resolved measurements of a time-reversal-invariant topological band structure, which we realize in a radio-frequency photonic circuit. We control band-structure topology via local permutation of a traveling-wave capacitor-inductor network, increasing robustness by going beyond the tight-binding limit. We observe a gapped density of states consistent with a modified Hofstadter spectrum at a flux per plaquette of ϕ=π/2. In situ probes of the band gaps reveal spatially localized bulk states and delocalized edge states. Time-resolved measurements reveal dynamical separation of localized edge excitations into spin-polarized currents. The radio-frequency circuit paradigm is naturally compatible with nonlocal coupling schemes, allowing us to implement a Möbius strip topology inaccessible in conventional systems. This room-temperature experiment illuminates the origins of topology in band structure, and when combined with circuit quantum electrodynamics techniques, it provides a direct path to topologically ordered quantum matter.