Anomalous random multipolar driven insulators

It is by now well established that periodically driven quantum many-body systems can realize topological nonequilibrium phases without any equilibrium counterpart. Here we show that, even in the absence of time translation symmetry, nonequilibrium topological phases of matter can exist in aperiodically driven systems for tunably parametrically long prethermal lifetimes. As a prerequisite, we first demonstrate the existence of longlived prethermal Anderson localization in two dimensions under random multipolar driving. We then show that the localization may be topologically nontrivial with a quantized bulk orbital magnetization even though there are no well-defined Floquet operators. We further confirm the existence of this anomalous random multipolar driven insulator by detecting quantized charge pumping at the boundaries, which renders it experimentally observable.

Automated summary

This article demonstrates the existence of non-equilibrium topological phases in aperiodically driven systems, even without time translation symmetry. By studying a two-dimensional system driven by random multipolar forces, the researchers first observe longlived prethermal Anderson localization. They then show that this localization can have topological properties, including quantized bulk orbital magnetization, even without well-defined Floquet operators. The existence of this anomalous random multipolar driven insulator is further confirmed through the detection of quantized charge pumping at the boundaries, making it experimentally observable.