Multiband Fractional Thouless Pumps
Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 166601 – Published 14 October, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/4d5s-n4gn
Abstract
Quantization of particle transport lies at the heart of topological physics. In Thouless pumps—dimensionally reduced versions of the integer quantum Hall effect—quantization is dictated by the integer winding of single-band Wannier states. Here, we show that repulsive interactions can drive a transition from an integer- to a fractional-quantized Thouless pump (at fixed integer filling) by stabilizing a crystal of multiband Wannier states, each with fractional winding. We numerically illustrate the concept in few-particle systems and show that a dynamical Hartree-Fock ansatz can quantitatively reproduce the pumping phase diagram.