Naslov
Synthesis and observation of non-Abelian gauge fields in real space

Autori
Yang, Yi ; Peng, Chao ; Zhu, Di ; Buljan, Hrvoje ; Joannopoulos, John D. ; Zhen, Bo ; Soljačić, Marin

Izvornik
Science (0036-8075) 365 (2019), 6457; 1021-1025

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
gauge fields ; non-Abelian

Sažetak
Particles placed inside an Abelian (commutative) gauge field can acquire different phases when traveling along the same path in opposite directions, as is evident from the Aharonov-Bohm effect. Such behaviors can get significantly enriched for a non- Abelian gauge field, where even the ordering of different paths cannot be switched. So far, real- space realizations of gauge fields have been limited to Abelian ones.We report an experimental synthesis of non-Abelian gauge fields in real space and the observation of the non-Abelian Aharonov-Bohm effect with classical waves and classical fluxes. On the basis of optical mode degeneracy, we break time- reversal symmetry in different manners, via temporal modulation and the Faraday effect, to synthesize tunable non-Abelian gauge fields.The Sagnac interference of two final states, obtained by reversely ordered path integrals, demonstrates the noncommutativity of the gauge fields. Our work introduces real-space building blocks for non-Abelian gauge fields, relevant for classical and quantum exotic topological phenomena.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Fizika

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