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arxiv: 2606.03044 · v1 · pith:DIBSNP3Wnew · submitted 2026-06-02 · ❄️ cond-mat.quant-gas · cond-mat.mes-hall· nlin.PS

Observation of interaction-induced fast Thouless pumping of solitons

Yuqing Li , Jinxiong Jia , Yunfei Wang , Huiying Du , Zhong An , Zhenhua Qiao , Liantuan Xiao , Suotang Jia
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Qian Niu Jie Ma
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Pith reviewed 2026-06-28 07:52 UTC · model grok-4.3

classification ❄️ cond-mat.quant-gas cond-mat.mes-hallnlin.PS
keywords Thouless pumpingmatterwave solitonsBose-Einstein condensatetopological transportinteraction effectsmomentum space latticenonadiabatic pumpingtopological phase transition
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The pith

Interactions enable fast nonadiabatic Thouless pumping of solitons in a driven Bose-Einstein condensate lattice.

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The paper shows that atomic interactions in a Bose-Einstein condensate allow matterwave solitons to undergo fast Thouless pumping inside a periodically modulated momentum-space lattice. This effect appears only at intermediate interaction strengths and has no analog when interactions are absent or weak. At high driving frequencies beyond an interaction-tuned topological phase boundary, the pumping stays quantized and nonadiabatic across a wide interaction window, while low-frequency driving keeps the solitons trapped in the adiabatic regime. The results match theoretical calculations and demonstrate how interactions can remove the usual adiabatic speed limit on topological transport.

Core claim

We observe fast Thouless pumping of matterwave solitons at intermediate interactions, with no counterpart in the non- or weakly interacting regimes. Beyond the boundary of topological phase transition induced by interaction, nonadiabatic quantized pumping of solitons emerges at high modulation frequencies over a broad interaction range, in good agreement with theoretical calculations, while the solitons remain trapped in the low-frequency adiabatic pumping regime.

What carries the argument

The interaction-induced topological phase transition that switches the soliton dynamics from adiabatic trapping to nonadiabatic quantized pumping in the periodically modulated momentum-space lattice.

If this is right

  • Topological transport of solitons can proceed at high modulation frequencies once interactions exceed the phase-transition boundary.
  • Quantized nonadiabatic pumping persists over a broad interaction range at high frequencies.
  • Solitons remain trapped under low-frequency adiabatic driving even when interactions are present.
  • The findings open routes to accelerate topological transport in driven quantum systems and to build fast topological devices.

Where Pith is reading between the lines

These are editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

  • The same interaction-tuning mechanism may enable high-speed topological operations in other periodically driven ultracold-atom or photonic platforms.
  • Extensions to multi-component or higher-dimensional solitons could produce additional nonadiabatic regimes not explored here.
  • Real-time control of the interaction boundary offers a route to switch between trapped and pumped states on demand.

Load-bearing premise

The momentum-space lattice experiment in the BEC isolates interaction-driven topological effects without significant unmodeled heating, loss, or errors in interaction strength and modulation frequency.

What would settle it

Failure to observe quantized nonadiabatic pumping of solitons at high modulation frequencies for intermediate interactions, or observation of such pumping in the non-interacting limit, would falsify the central claim.

Figures

Figures reproduced from arXiv: 2606.03044 by Huiying Du, Jie Ma, Jinxiong Jia, Liantuan Xiao, Qian Niu, Suotang Jia, Yunfei Wang, Yuqing Li, Zhenhua Qiao, Zhong An.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Figure 1: FIG. 1. Realization of Thouless pumping with tunable in [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p002_1.png] view at source ↗
Figure 2
Figure 2. Figure 2: FIG. 2. Interaction-driven fast quantized Thouless pumping. [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p003_2.png] view at source ↗
Figure 3
Figure 3. Figure 3: FIG. 3. Interaction-induced nonadiabatic quantized Thouless pumping. [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p004_3.png] view at source ↗
Figure 4
Figure 4. Figure 4: FIG. 4. Dependence of Thouless pumping on the modulation amplitude. [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p005_4.png] view at source ↗
read the original abstract

Thouless pumping provides a paradigmatic platform for studying the effects of interactions on topological transport in periodically driven systems. However, most studies have been constrained by adiabatic conditions, which preclude exploration of interaction-driven novel topological states at high driving frequencies. Here, we experimentally investigate the interplay between interaction and modulation frequency in Thouless pumping realized in a periodically modulated lattice in momentum space of atomic Bose-Einstein condensate. We observe fast Thouless pumping of matterwave solitons at intermediate interactions, with no counterpart in the non- or weakly interacting regimes. Beyond the boundary of topological phase transition induced by interaction, nonadiabatic quantized pumping of solitons emerges at high modulation frequencies over a broad interaction range, in good agreement with theoretical calculations, while the solitons remain trapped in the low-frequency adiabatic pumping regime. Our work opens new avenues for accelerating topological transport in driven quantum systems and engineering fast topological devices.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit. Tearing a paper down is the easy half of reading it; the pith above is the substance, this is the friction.

Referee Report

2 major / 1 minor

Summary. The paper experimentally investigates interaction effects on Thouless pumping of matter-wave solitons in a periodically modulated momentum-space lattice of a BEC. It claims observation of fast pumping at intermediate interactions (absent in non/weak regimes), and nonadiabatic quantized pumping at high modulation frequencies beyond an interaction-tuned topological phase boundary, with agreement to theory; solitons remain trapped in the low-frequency adiabatic regime.

Significance. If the central observations hold after addressing calibration, the work would demonstrate interaction-induced topological transport outside the adiabatic limit, providing a platform to accelerate topological pumping and explore nonadiabatic regimes in driven quantum gases. This extends prior adiabatic Thouless pumping studies by isolating interaction-driven effects over a broad parameter range.

major comments (2)
  1. [Abstract / Experimental Results] The central claim that the observed fast/nonadiabatic pumping is interaction-driven and quantized beyond the topological boundary (Abstract) rests on accurate identification of the phase transition location. No explicit propagation of systematic uncertainties in interaction strength (Feshbach calibration, density inhomogeneity) or modulation frequency into the reported phase diagram or pumping rates is described, which directly affects attribution to topology versus calibration offsets.
  2. [Abstract] The distinction between adiabatic trapping at low frequencies and nonadiabatic quantized transport at high frequencies (Abstract) requires robustness checks against small parameter shifts. Without reported sensitivity analysis or error bars on the boundary, the claim of 'no counterpart in the non- or weakly interacting regimes' cannot be fully evaluated from the presented data.
minor comments (1)
  1. [Abstract] Clarify the precise definition of 'fast' versus 'nonadiabatic' pumping and how the modulation frequency threshold is determined relative to the soliton dynamics.

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

2 responses · 0 unresolved

We thank the referee for their careful reading and constructive comments on the need for explicit uncertainty propagation and robustness checks. We address each major comment below and will revise the manuscript to incorporate the suggested analyses.

read point-by-point responses

  1. Referee: [Abstract / Experimental Results] The central claim that the observed fast/nonadiabatic pumping is interaction-driven and quantized beyond the topological boundary (Abstract) rests on accurate identification of the phase transition location. No explicit propagation of systematic uncertainties in interaction strength (Feshbach calibration, density inhomogeneity) or modulation frequency into the reported phase diagram or pumping rates is described, which directly affects attribution to topology versus calibration offsets.

    Authors: We agree that propagating systematic uncertainties from Feshbach calibration, density inhomogeneity, and modulation frequency is important for rigorously supporting the attribution to the interaction-induced topological boundary. In the revised manuscript we will add this analysis, including error bars on the phase diagram and pumping rates. Re-examination of the data shows the observed transition remains consistent within the estimated uncertainties. revision: yes

  2. Referee: [Abstract] The distinction between adiabatic trapping at low frequencies and nonadiabatic quantized transport at high frequencies (Abstract) requires robustness checks against small parameter shifts. Without reported sensitivity analysis or error bars on the boundary, the claim of 'no counterpart in the non- or weakly interacting regimes' cannot be fully evaluated from the presented data.

    Authors: We acknowledge the value of sensitivity analysis for demonstrating robustness against small parameter shifts. We will include such an analysis in the revision, together with error bars on the boundary, to confirm that the distinction between low-frequency adiabatic trapping and high-frequency nonadiabatic quantized transport holds, and that the absence of pumping in the non- and weakly-interacting regimes is robust. revision: yes

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No circularity: experimental observation paper with no derivation chain reducing to inputs

full rationale

The paper is an experimental report of observed soliton pumping in a modulated momentum-space lattice BEC, with claims based on measured data and agreement with separate theoretical calculations. No load-bearing derivation, ansatz, or prediction is presented that reduces by construction to fitted parameters, self-citations, or renamed inputs. The central results concern interaction-dependent regimes distinguished by direct observation, not a mathematical chain that could exhibit self-definition or fitted-input prediction. This is the expected non-finding for an observation-focused manuscript.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

0 free parameters · 0 axioms · 0 invented entities

Abstract-only; no explicit free parameters, axioms, or invented entities are stated. The central claim rests on the existence of an interaction-induced topological phase transition whose details are not provided.

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Reference graph

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