摘要

We propose a realistic scheme to directly probe the Chern number of topological Weyl semimetals in optical lattices. The Weyl semimetal states can be realized with ultracold fermionic atoms trapped in three-dimensional optical lattices, and are topologically characterized by k(z)-dependent Chern number, where k(z) is the out-of-plane quasimomentum. We demonstrate with numerical simulations that this characteristic topological invariant can be extracted from the shift of the hybrid Wannier center in the optical lattice, based on the particle pumping approach. Through in situ measurement of atomic density, the topological properties of the Weyl semimetal states are then directly revealed.