Mainz 2026 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 22: Nuclear and X-Ray Quantum Optics

Q 22.6: Talk

Tuesday, March 3, 2026, 12:30–12:45, P 11

Exploring Topological Effects in Thin-Film X-Ray Cavities — •Hanns Zimmermann^1,2,3, Jonathan Sturm^1,3, Ion Cosma Fulga^3,4, Jeroen van den Brink^3,4, and Adriana Pálffy^1,3 — ¹Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg — ²Universität der Bundeswehr München — ³Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat — ⁴Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden

A promising platform for the quantum control of high-frequency photons are thin-film cavities, with one or several embedded layers of resonant nuclei such as ⁵⁷Fe with a Mössbauer transition at 14.4 keV. At grazing incidence, incoming x-rays couple evanescently to the cavity. In turn, the cavity field drives the nuclear transitions. The resulting nuclear response is well described by a recently-developed quantum optical model based on the electromagnetic Green’s function [1].

Here, we investigate theoretically topological effects in special geometries of x-ray quantum emitters i.e. Mössbauer nuclei. We show that tailored nanostructures with multiple layers of Mössbauer nuclei can implement a non-Hermitian version of the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model [2]. By tuning the geometry of the structure, different topological phases can be realized. Our results demonstrate the existence of topological edge states whose presence can be identified in the x-ray reflectivity spectra or in resonant beam coupling geometry [3].

[1] X. Kong, et al. Phys. Rev. A 102, 033710 (2020)

[2] H. Zimmermann, et. al., arXiv:2506.10588 (2025)

[3] L.M. Lohse et. al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 053601 (2025)

Keywords: X-Ray Quantum Optics; Topological Quantum Optics; Su-Schrieffer-Heeger Model; Thin-Film Cavity