We show that resonant dipole-dipole interactions between Rydberg atoms in a triangular lattice can give rise to artificial magnetic fields for spin excitations. We consider the coherent dipole-dipole coupling between np and ns Rydberg states and derive an effective spin-1/2 Hamiltonian for the np excitations. By breaking time-reversal symmetry via external fields, we engineer complex hopping amplitudes for transitions between two rectangular sub-lattices. The phase of these hopping amplitudes depends on the direction of the hop. This gives rise to a staggered, artificial magnetic field which induces non-trivial topological effects. We calculate the single-particle band structure and investigate its Chern numbers as a function of the lattice parameters and the detuning between the two sub-lattices. We identify extended parameter regimes where the Chern number of the lowest band is C = 1 or C = 2.
CITATION STYLE
Kiffner, M., O’Brien, E., & Jaksch, D. (2018). Topological spin models in rydberg lattices. In Exploring the World with the Laser: Dedicated to Theodor Hänsch on his 75th Birthday (pp. 351–369). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64346-5_20
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