Detecting topology through dynamics in interacting fermionic wires

Abstract

Probing the topological invariants of interacting systems stands as a grand and open challenge. Here we describe a dynamical method to characterize 1D chiral models, based on the direct observation of time-evolving bulk excitations. We present analytical and state-of-the-art numerical calculations on various flavors of interacting Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) chains, demonstrating how measuring the mean chiral displacement allows us to distinguish between topological insulator, trivial insulator, and symmetry-broken phases. Finally, we provide a readily-feasible experimental blueprint for a model displaying these three phases and we describe how to detect those.