Observing disorder-induced average topological order in an atom array

Observing disorder-induced average topological order in an atom array | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Observing disorder-induced average topological order in an atom array Li You, Zongpei Yue, Yu-Feng Mao, Xinhui Liang, Zhen-Xing Hua, and 6 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7026435/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 20 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Physics → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Topological phases of matter can appear in noninteracting systems, as in band topology, or interacting systems, such as in spin models, with their defining features typically robust against weak disorder. Intriguingly, disorder itself can also induce topological phases--exemplified by the Anderson topological insulator in noninteracting systems. Experimental studies on disorder-induced topology have so far been limited to band topology. Here we report direct observations of disorder-induced many-body interacting average topological order in an atom array at half-filling, whereby random offsets to tweezer locations forming a lattice implement structural disorder, causing fluctuating long-range dipolar interactions between tweezer confined single atoms. The ground state degeneracy in disordered configurations is detected and compared to the regular lattice. The induced topological phase is vindicated by the spatially resolved atom-atom correlation functions for different forms of dimer compositions. By probing the quench dynamics of a highly excited state, we observe markedly slower decay of edge spin magnetization in comparison to the bulk spin, consistent with the presence of topologically protected edge modes in disordered lattices. Our experiments open a new direction for studying the interplay between disorder and strongly interacting topological matter in Rydberg atom arrays. Physical sciences/Physics/Quantum physics/Quantum simulation Physical sciences/Physics/Condensed-matter physics/Topological matter Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 20 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Physics → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7026435","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":487325833,"identity":"a47213d5-aaf7-49b7-96b2-0242e3983bd9","order_by":0,"name":"Li 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