SPICE Workshop on Quantum Spinoptics, June 18th - June 20th 2024
Lorenza Viola
Tight bosonic analogs of free-fermionic symmetry-protected topological phases, and their associated edge-localized excitations, have long eluded the grasp of condensed-matter and AMO physics. In this talk, I will argue that a new paradigm for realizing these phases may be obtained by considering dissipative dynamics - as opposed to just Hamiltonian one - and by focusing on transient - as opposed to ground- or steady-state - dynamical regimes. Specifically, I will consider Markovian quadratic bosonic systems, and leverage pseudospectral theory as the appropriate framework for capturing the non-normality of the underlying Lindblad generator. I will then show how topologically metastable Lindbladians may be constructed, that support tight bosonic analogs of the Majorana and Dirac edge modes characteristic of topological superconductors and insulators over practically long timescales. Explicit examples will be discussed, along with observable signatures of topological zero modes in the form of anomalously long-lived quantum correlations and divergent zero-frequency power spectral peaks.