Speaker
Description
We propose to combine Bose-Einstein condensation in higher Bloch bands and a driven-dissipative cavity-BEC system into a hybrid light-matter platform. Specifically, the condensate is trapped in a bipartite $s$–$p_x$–$p_y$ lattice, with a tunable energy offset. This enables a controlled population transfer from the $s$-orbital to the nearly degenerate $p_x$ and $p_y$ orbitals. The system forms a chiral ground state with $p_x \pm i p_y$ symmetry, with staggered orbital currents. By increasing the transverse pump strength, we drive the system into the superradiant phase, resulting in a self-organized, density checkerboard, which rectifies the staggered chiral order into a topological superfluid state.
The emitted cavity field provides continuous optical access and enables a nondestructive readout of the internal quantum state. This may provide a basis for cavity-based sensing schemes, including possible applications in rotational sensing.
Our results show that higher-band condensates coupled to a cavity provide a promising platform for engineering non-trivial orbital order and topological superfluid phases in quantum optical many-body systems.
