Topologically protected quantized changes of the distance between atoms

Abstract

Thouless pumping enables the transport of particles in a one-dimensional periodic potential if the potential is slowly and periodically modulated in time. The change in the position of particles after each modulation period is quantized and depends solely on the topology of the pump cycle, making it robust against perturbations. Here, we demonstrate that Thouless pumping also allows for the realization of topologically protected quantized changes of the distance between atoms if the atomic s-wave scattering length is properly modulated in time.