non-Abelian Gauge Potential Research Articles

Nonabelian Ginzburg–Landau theory for ferroelectrics

The Ginzburg–Landau theory, which was introduced to phenomenologically describe the destruction of superconductivity by a magnetic field at the beginning, has brought up much more knowledge beyond the original one as a mean-field theory of thermodynamics states. There the complex order parameter plays an important role. Here we propose a macroscopic theory to describe the features of ferroelectrics by a two-component complex order parameter coupled to nonabelian gauge potentials that provide more freedom to reflect interplays between different measurables. Within this theoretical framework, some recently discovered empirical static and time-independent phenomena, such as vortex, anti-vortex, spiral orders can be obtained as solutions for different gauge potentials. It is expected to bring in a new angle of view with more elucidation than the traditional one that takes the polarization as order parameter.

Topological Lifshitz transition and novel edge states induced by non-Abelian SU(2) gauge field on bilayer honeycomb lattice

We investigate the SU(2) gauge effects on bilayer honeycomb lattice thoroughly. We discover a topological Lifshitz transition induced by the non-Abelian gauge potential. Topological Lifshitz transitions are determined by topologies of Fermi surfaces in the momentum space. Fermi surface consists of N = 8 Dirac points at π-flux point instead of N = 4 in the trivial Abelian regimes. A local winding number is defined to classify the universality class of the gapless excitations. We also obtain the phase diagram of gauge fluxes by solving the secular equation. Furthermore, the novel edge states of biased bilayer nanoribbon with gauge fluxes are also investigated.

Exactly solvable model for anyons with non-Abelian flux

We present an exactly solvable model for synthetic anyons carrying non-Abelian flux. The model corresponds to a two-dimensional electron gas in a magnetic field with a specific spin interaction term, which allows only fully aligned spin states in the ground state; the ground state subspace is thus two-fold degenerate. This system is perturbed with identical solenoids carrying a non-Abelian gauge potential. We explore dynamics of the ground state as these solenoids are adiabatically braided and show they behave as anyons with a non-Abelian flux. Such a system represents a middle ground between the ordinary Abelian anyons and the fully non-Abelian anyons.

Wilson loop and Wilczek-Zee phase from a non-Abelian gauge field

Quantum states can acquire a geometric phase called the Berry phase after adiabatically traversing a closed loop, which depends on the path not the rate of motion. The Berry phase is analogous to the Aharonov–Bohm phase derived from the electromagnetic vector potential, and can be expressed in terms of an Abelian gauge potential called the Berry connection. Wilczek and Zee extended this concept to include non-Abelian phases—characterized by the gauge-independent Wilson loop—resulting from non-Abelian gauge potentials. Using an atomic Bose–Einstein condensate, we quantum-engineered a non-Abelian SU(2) gauge field, generated by a Yang monopole located at the origin of a 5-dimensional parameter space. By slowly encircling the monopole, we characterized the Wilczek–Zee phase in terms of the Wilson loop, that depended on the solid-angle subtended by the encircling path: a generalization of Stokes’ theorem. This observation marks the observation of the Wilson loop resulting from a non-Abelian point source.

Three-dimensional non-Abelian generalizations of the Hofstadter model: Spin-orbit-coupled butterfly trios

We theoretically introduce and study a three-dimensional Hofstadter model with linearly varying non-Abelian gauge potentials along all three dimensions. The model can be interpreted as spin-orbit coupling among a trio of Hofstadter butterfly pairs since each Cartesian surface ($xy$, $yz$, or $zx$) of the model reduces to a two-dimensional non-Abelian Hofstadter problem. By evaluating the commutativity among arbitrary loop operators around all axes, we derive its genuine (necessary and sufficient) non-Abelian condition, namely, at least two out of the three hopping phases should be neither 0 nor $\pi$. Under different choices of gauge fields in either the Abelian or the non-Abelian regime, both weak and strong topological insulating phases are identified in the model.

Reduction of the twisted bilayer graphene chiral Hamiltonian into a 2×2 matrix operator and physical origin of flat bands at magic angles

The chiral Hamiltonian for twisted graphene bilayers is written as a $2\times2$ matrix operator by a renormalization of the Hamiltonian that takes into account the particle-hole symmetry. This results in an effective Hamiltonian with an average field plus and effective non-Abelian gauge potential. The action of the proposed renormalization maps the zero-mode region into the ground state. Modes near zero energy have an antibonding nature in a triangular lattice. This leads to a phase-frustration effect associated with massive degeneration, and makes flat-bands modes similar to confined modes observed in other bipartite lattices. Suprisingly, the proposed Hamiltonian renormalization suggests that flat-bands at magic angles are akin to floppy-mode bands in flexible crystals or glasses, making an unexpected connection between rigidity topological theory and magic angle twisted two-dimensional heterostructures physics.

Non-Abelian Shortcuts to Adiabaticity Simulated by Classical Resonant Oscillators

Quantum degenerate systems can be simulated by the classical resonant oscillators in the means of quantum-classical mapping theory. In this work, we show the classical version of shortcuts to adiabaticity-transitionless quantum driving (TQD) for the non-Abelian quantum systems by averaging the quantum version. The non-Abelian geometric angle corresponding to the quantum Wilczek-Zee phase is given and the non-Abelian angle gauge potential is just the opposite of the third term of TQD Hamiltonian or the averaging of Wilczek-Zee gauge potential. An example of Hamiltonian with two degenerate subspaces is employed to illustrate the classical non-Abelian dynamics, geometric angle and shortcuts to adiabaticity. This provides a promising platform to simulate the quantum shortcut or for quantum computation and quantum information processing.

Non-Abelian gauge potentials driven localization transition in quasiperiodic optical lattices

Derived from quantum waves immersed in an Abelian gauge potential, the quasiperiodic Aubry-André-Harper (AAH) model is a simple yet powerful Hamiltonian to study the Anderson localization of ultracold atoms. Here, we investigate the localization properties of ultracold atoms in quasiperiodic optical lattices subject to a non-Abelian gauge potential, which are depicted by non-Abelian AAH models. We identify that the non-Abelian AAH models can bear the self-duality. We analyze the localization of such non-Abelian self-dual optical lattices, revealing a rich phase diagram driven by the non-Abelian gauge potential involved: a transition from a pure delocalization phase, then to coexistence phases, and finally to a pure localization phase. This is in stark contrast to the Abelian counterpart that does not support the coexistence phases. Our results establish the connection between localization and gauge symmetry, and thus comprise a new insight on the fundamental aspects of localization in quasiperiodic systems, from the perspective of non-Abelian gauge potential.

Extended gauge theory and gauged free differential algebras

Recently, Antoniadis, Konitopoulos and Savvidy introduced, in the context of the so-called extended gauge theory, a procedure to construct background-free gauge invariants, using non-abelian gauge potentials described by higher degree forms.In this article it is shown that the extended invariants found by Antoniadis, Konitopoulos and Savvidy can be constructed from an algebraic structure known as free differential algebra. In other words, we show that the above mentioned non-abelian gauge theory, where the gauge fields are described by p-forms with p≥2, can be obtained by gauging free differential algebras.

Exact diagonalization of cubic lattice models in commensurate Abelian magnetic fluxes and translational invariant non-Abelian potentials

We present a general analytical formalism to determine the energy spectrum of a quantum particle in a cubic lattice subject to translationally invariant commensurate magnetic fluxes and in the presence of a general space-independent non-Abelian gauge potential. We first review and analyze the case of purely Abelian potentials, showing also that the so-called Hasegawa gauge yields a decomposition of the Hamiltonian into sub-matrices having minimal dimension. Explicit expressions for such matrices are derived, also for general anisotropic fluxes. Later on, we show that the introduction of a translational invariant non-Abelian coupling for multi-component spinors does not affect the dimension of the minimal Hamiltonian blocks, nor the dimension of the magnetic Brillouin zone. General formulas are presented for the case and explicit examples are investigated involving π and magnetic fluxes. Finally, we numerically study the effect of random flux perturbations.

Free energy for a damped cold atom in SU(2) non-Abelian gauge potentials

Our main aim in this work is to find out the exact formula of the equilibrium free energy for a cold atom subjected to a harmonic potential in the background of an artificial non-Abelian uniform magnetic field and linearly coupled to a heat bath. The heat bath consists of a collection of independent quantum harmonic oscillators, while its interaction with the cold atom is modeled in terms of bilinear coupling between the coordinate variables of the cold atom and the oscillators. The main thermodynamic properties of such a system are modified in comparison with the Abelian case. For a non-Abelian magnetic field generated from the laser methods employing degenerate dark states, we evaluate the effect of the non-Abelian dynamics on the magnetic moment of the cold atom.

Double Weyl points and Fermi arcs of topological semimetals in non-Abelian gauge potentials

We study the effect of a non-Abelian SU(2) gauge potential on the topological semimetal induced by a magnetic field having {\pi}-flux per plaquette and acting on fermions in a cubic lattice. The Abelian {\pi}-flux term gives rise to a spectrum characterized by Weyl points. When the non-Abelian part is turned on, due to the presence of a C4 rotation symmetry, the Weyl points assume a quadratic dispersion along two directions and constitute double monopoles for the Berry curvature. We examine both analytically and numerically the main features of this system, focusing on its gapless surface modes, the so-called Fermi arcs. We discuss the stability of the system under confining hard-wall and harmonic potentials, relevant for the implementation in ultracold atom settings, and the effect of rotation symmetry breaking.

Particle coupled to a heat bath in non-Abelian gauge potentials.

We derive the quantum Langevin equation (QLE) for a harmonically single trapped cold atom subjected to artificial non-Abelian gauge potentials and linearly coupled to a heat bath. The independent-oscillator (IO) and the momentum-momenta coupling models are studied. In each case, the non-Abelian effect on the QLE is pointed out for a U(2) gauge transformation. For the IO model, only the generalized Lorentz force is modified by the appearance of an additive term. For the momentum-momenta coupling model, the generalized Lorentz force as well as the friction force are subjected to modifications. The dependence of the system on the magnetic field is explicit even if the gauge potential is uniform in space.

Baryon squishing in synthetic dimensions by effectiveSU(M)gauge fields

We investigate few body physics in a cold atomic system with synthetic dimensions (Celi et al., PRL 112, 043001 (2014)) which realizes a Hofstadter model with long-ranged interactions along the synthetic dimension. We show that the problem can be mapped to a system of particles (with $SU(M)$ symmetric interactions) which experience an $SU(M)$ Zeeman field at each lattice site {\em and} a non-Abelian $SU(M)$ gauge potential that affects their hopping from one site to another. This mapping brings out the possibility of generating {\em non-local} interactions (interaction between particles at different physical sites). It also shows that the non-Abelian gauge field, which induces a flavor-orbital coupling, mitigates the "baryon breaking" effects of the Zeeman field. For $M$ particles, the $SU(M)$ singlet baryon which is site localized, is "deformed" to be a nonlocal object ("squished" baryon) by the combination of the Zeeman and the non-Abelian gauge potential, an effect that we conclusively demonstrate by analytical arguments and exact (numerical) diagonalization studies. These results not only promise a rich phase diagram in the many body setting, but also suggests possibility of using cold atom systems to address problems that are inconceivable in traditional condensed matter systems. As an example, we show that the system can be adapted to realize Hamiltonians akin to the $SU(M)$ random flux model.

Controlling and probing non-abelian emergent gauge potentials in spinor Bose-Fermi mixtures.

Gauge fields, typified by the electromagnetic field, often appear as emergent phenomena due to geometrical properties of a curved Hilbert subspace, and provide a key mechanism for understanding such exotic phenomena as the anomalous and topological Hall effects. Non-abelian gauge potentials serve as a source of non-singular magnetic monopoles. Here we show that unlike conventional solid materials, the non-abelianness of emergent gauge potentials in spinor Bose-Fermi atomic mixtures can be continuously varied by changing the relative particle-number densities of bosons and fermions. The non-abelian feature is captured by an explicit dependence of the measurable spin current density of fermions in the mixture on the variable coupling constant. Spinor mixtures also provide us with a method to coherently and spontaneously generate a pure spin current without relying on the spin Hall effect. Such a spin current is expected to have potential applications in the new generation of atomtronic devices.

Experimental evidence for non-Abelian gauge potentials in twisted graphene bilayers

The methods for realizing of non-Abelian gauge potentials have been proposed in many different systems in condensed matter1-5. The simplest realization among them may be in a graphene bilayer obtained by slightly relative rotation between the two layers4. Here we report the experimental evidence for non-Abelian gauge potentials in twisted graphene bilayers by scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy. At a magic twisted angle, theta ~ (1.11+/-0.05)deg, a pronounced sharp peak, which arises from the nondispersive flat bands at the charge neutrality point, are observed in the tunnelling density of states due to the action of the non-Abelian gauge fields4,6-8. Moreover, we observe confined electronic states in the twisted bilayer, as manifested by regularly spaced tunnelling peaks with energy spacing detal E ~ vF/D ~ 70 meV (here vF is the Fermi velocity of graphene and D is the period of the Moire patterns). Our results direct demonstrate that the non-Abelian gauge potentials in twisted graphene bilayers confine low-energy electrons into a triangular array of quantum dots following the modulation of the Moire patterns.

A Chern–Simons gravity action in [formula omitted

Recently, Antoniadis, Konitopoulos and Savvidy have introduced in Refs. [1–4] a procedure to construct background-free gauge invariants, using non-abelian gauge potentials described by forms of higher degree. Their construction is particularly useful because it can be used in both, odd- and even-dimensional spacetimes. Using their technique, we generalize the Chern–Weil theorem and construct a gauge-invariant, (2n+2)-dimensional transgression form, and study its relationship with the generalized Chern–Simons forms introduced in Refs. [1,2].Using the methods for FDA manipulation and decomposition in 1-forms developed in Ref. [5] and applied in Refs. [6] and [7], we construct a four-dimensional Chern–Simons gravity action, which is off-shell gauge invariant under the Maxwell algebra.

Gauge transformations of spin-orbit interactions in graphene

Inclusion of spin-dependent interactions in graphene in the vicinity of the Dirac points can be posed in terms of non-Abelian gauge potentials. Such gauge potentials being surrogates of physical electric fields and material parameters, only enjoy a limited gauge freedom. A general gauge transformation thus changes the physical model. We argue that this property can be useful in connecting reference physical situations, such as free particle or Rashba interactions to non-trivial physical Hamiltonians with a new set of spin-orbit interactions, albeit constrained to being isoenergetic. We analyse different combinations of spin-orbit interactions in the case of monolayer graphene and show how they are related by means of selected non-Abelian gauge transformations.

Berry-phase effects and electronic dynamics in a noncollinear antiferromagnetic texture

Antiferromagnets (AFMs), in contrast to ferromagnets, show a nontrivial magnetic structure with zero net magnetization. However, they share a number of spintronic effects with ferromagnets, including spin-pumping and spin transfer torques. Both phenomena stem from the coupled dynamics of free carriers and localized magnetic moments. In the present paper I study the adiabatic dynamics of a spin-polarized electrons in a metallic AFM exhibiting a noncollinear 120$^\circ$ magnetic structure. I show that the slowly varying AFM spin texture produces a non-Abelian gauge potential related to the time/space gradients of the N\'{e}el vectors. Corresponding emergent electric and magnetic fields induce rotation of spin and influence the orbital dynamics of free electrons. I discuss both the possibility of a topological spin Hall effect in the vicinity of topological AFM solitons with nonzero curvature and rotation of the electron spin traveling through the AFM domain wall.

Three-dimensional dimeron as a stable topological object

Searching for novel topological objects is always an intriguing task for scientists in various fields. We study a three-dimensional (3D) topological structure called a 3D dimeron in trapped two-component Bose-Einstein condensates. The 3D dimeron differs from the conventional 3D skyrmion for the condensates hosting two interlocked vortex rings. We demonstrate that the vortex rings are connected by a singular string and the complexity constitutes a vortex molecule. The stability of the 3D dimeron is examined in two different models using the imaginary time evolution method. We find that the stable 3D dimeron can be naturally generated from a vortex-free Gaussian wave packet incorporating a synthetic non-Abelian gauge potential into the condensates.