  Topological matter is a popular topic in both condensed matter and cold atom
research. In the past decades, a variety of models have been identified with
fascinating topological features. Some, but not all, of the models can be found
in materials. As a fully controllable system, cold atoms trapped in optical
lattices provide an ideal platform to simulate and realize these topological
models. Here we present a proposal for synthesizing topological models in cold
atoms based on a one-dimensional (1D) spin-dependent optical lattice potential.
In our system, features such as staggered tunneling, staggered Zeeman field,
nearest-neighbor interaction, beyond-near-neighbor tunneling, etc. can be
readily realized. They underlie the emergence of various topological phases.
Our proposal can be realized with current technology and hence has potential
applications in quantum simulation of topological matter.
