Abstract
We study experimentally and theoretically discrete solitons in crystalline structures consisting of several tens of laser-cooled ions confined in a radio frequency trap. Resonantly exciting localized, spectrally gapped vibrational modes of the soliton, a nonlinear mechanism leads to a nonequilibrium steady state of the continuously cooled crystal. We find that the propagation and the escape of the soliton out of its quasi-one-dimensional channel can be described as a thermal activation mechanism. We control the effective temperature of the soliton’s collective coordinate by the amplitude of the external excitation. Furthermore, the global trapping potential permits controlling the soliton dynamics and realizing directed transport depending on its topological charge.
- Received 12 May 2017
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.153602
© 2017 American Physical Society
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
Synopsis
Topological Defect on the Move
Published 12 October 2017
Researchers have directed the motion of a domain-wall-like topological defect through a crystal of trapped ions.
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