Geometrical phase shift in Friedel oscillations

Abstract

This work addresses the problem of elastic scattering through a localized impurity in a one-dimensional crystal with sublattice freedom degrees. The impurity yields long-range interferences in the local density of states known as Friedel oscillations. Here, we show that the internal degrees of freedom of Bloch waves are responsible for a geometrical phase shift in Friedel oscillations. The Fourier transform of the energy-resolved interference pattern reveals a topological property of this phase shift, which is intrinsically related to the Bloch band structure topology in the absence of impurity. Therefore, Friedel oscillations in the local density of states can be regarded as a probe of wave topological properties in a broad class of classical and quantum systems, such as acoustic and photonic crystals, ultracold atomic gases in optical lattices, and electronic compounds.