Theoretical seminar | 01 April 2020

I will discuss interaction of a photon pair with an array of closely-spaced two-level atoms in a waveguide [arXiv:2003.08257]. I predict that this simple quantum setup demonstrates the quantum Hall phase with topological edge states, spectral Landau levels, and Hofstadter butterfly. In stark contrast to many existing studies, the topological order emerges solely from interactions in a simple periodic array and does not require any lattice engineering, application of external fields, or other fine tuning.