Synthetic non-Abelian Gauge Field Research Articles

Synthetic Non-Abelian Gauge Fields for Non-Hermitian Systems

Synthetic Non-Abelian Gauge Fields for Non-Hermitian Systems

Wave Packet Dynamics in Synthetic Non-Abelian Gauge Fields.

It is generally admitted that in quantum mechanics, the electromagnetic potentials have physical interpretations otherwise absent in classical physics as illustrated by the Aharonov-Bohm effect. In 1984, Berry interpreted this effect as a geometrical phase factor. The same year, Wilczek and Zee generalized the concept of Berry phases to degenerate levels and showed that a non-Abelian gauge field arises in these systems. In sharp contrast with the Abelian case, spatially uniform non-Abelian gauge fields can induce particle noninertial motion. We explore this intriguing phenomenon with a degenerated Fermionic atomic gas subject to a two-dimensional synthetic SU(2) non-Abelian gauge field. We reveal the spin Hall nature of the noninertial dynamic as well as its anisotropy in amplitude and frequency due to the spin texture of the system. We finally draw the similarities and differences of the observed wave packet dynamic and the celebrated Zitterbewegung effect of the relativistic Dirac equation.

Experimental investigation of a non-Abelian gauge field in 2D perovskite photonic platform

Electromagnetism, with its scalar charges, is based on an Abelian gauge theory, whereas non-Abelian gauge theories with vector charges describe strong and weak interactions, with a coupled spatial and charge (color) dynamics. New Abelian gauge fields have been synthesized artificially, allowing the study of extraordinary physical effects. The most well-known example is the Berry curvature, the cornerstone of topological physics. Synthetic non-Abelian gauge fields have been implemented only recently, but their action on the spatial dynamics of their emergent charges has not been studied experimentally so far. Here, by exploiting optically anisotropic 2D perovskite in the strong light–matter coupling regime, we experimentally synthesized a static non-Abelian gauge field, acting on an exciton-polariton quantum flow at room temperature. We observe experimentally the corresponding curved trajectories and spin precession. Our work could therefore open perspectives to study the non-Abelian physics using highly flexible photonic simulators.

Optical analogue of Dresselhaus spin–orbit interaction in photonic graphene

The concept of gauge fields plays a significant role in many areas of physics from particle physics and cosmology to condensed matter systems, where gauge potentials are a natural consequence of electromagnetic fields acting on charged particles and are of central importance in topological states of matter. Here, we report on the experimental realization of a synthetic non-Abelian gauge field for photons in a honeycomb microcavity lattice. We show that the effective magnetic field associated with TE-TM splitting has the symmetry of Dresselhaus spin-orbit interaction around Dirac points in the dispersion, and can be regarded as an SU(2) gauge field. The symmetry of the field is revealed in the optical spin Hall effect (OSHE), where under resonant excitation of the Dirac points precession of the photon pseudospin around the field direction leads to the formation of two spin domains. Furthermore, we observe that the Dresselhaus field changes its sign in the same Dirac valley on switching from s to p bands in good agreement with the tight binding modelling. Our work demonstrating a non-Abelian gauge field for light on the microscale paves the way towards manipulation of photons via spin on a chip.

Synthetic non-Abelian gauge fields and gravitomagnetic effects in tilted Dirac cone systems

In planar tilted Dirac cone systems, the tilt parameter can be made space-dependent by either a perpendicular displacement field, or by chemical substitution in certain systems. We show that the symmetric partial derivative of the tilt parameter generates non-Abelian synthetic gauge fields in these systems. The small velocity limit of these gauge forces corresponds to Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit couplings. At the classical level, the same symmetric spatial derivatives of tilt contribute to conservative, Lorentz-type and friction-like forces. The velocity dependent forces are odd with respect to tilt and therefore have opposite signs in the two valleys when the system is inversion symmetric. Furthermore, toggling the chemical potential between the valence and conduction bands reverses the sign of the all these classical forces, which indicates these forces couple to the electric charge of the carriers. As such, these forces are natural extensions of the electric and magnetic forces in the particular geometry of the tilted Dirac cone systems.

Quantum impurities develop fractional local moments in spin-orbit coupled systems

We investigate the new physics that arises when a correlated quantum impurity hybridizes with Fermi gas with a generalized Rashba spin-orbit coupling produced via a uniform synthetic non-Abelian gauge field. We show that the impurity develops a {\it fractional} local moment which couples anti-ferromagnetically to the Rashba-Fermi gas. This results in a concomitant {\it Kondo effect with a high temperature scale} that can be tuned by the strength of the Rashba spin-orbit coupling.

Quantum magnetism of spinor bosons in optical lattices with synthetic non-Abelian gauge fields

We study quantum magnetism of interacting spinor bosons at integer fillings hopping in a square lattice in the presence of non-Abelian gauge fields. In the strong coupling limit, it leads to the Rotated ferromagnetic Heisenberg model (RFHM) which is a new class of quantum spin model. We introduce Wilson loops to characterize frustrations and gauge equivalent classes. For a special equivalent class, we identify a new spin-orbital entangled commensurate ground state. It supports not only commensurate magnons, but also a new gapped elementary excitation: in-commensurate magnons with two gap minima continuously tuned by the SOC strength. At low temperatures, these magnons lead to dramatic effects in many physical quantities such as density of states, specific heat, magnetization, uniform susceptibility, staggered susceptibility and various spin correlation functions. The commensurate magnons lead to a pinned central peak in the angle resolved light or atom Bragg spectroscopy. However, the in-commensurate magnons split it into two located at their two gap minima. At high temperatures, the transverse spin structure factors depend on the SOC strength explicitly. The whole set of Wilson loops can be mapped out by measuring the specific heat at the corresponding orders in the high temperature expansion. We argue that one gauge may be realized in current experiments and other gauges may also be realized in near future experiments. The results achieved along the exact solvable line sets up the stage to investigate dramatic effects when tuning away from it by various means. We sketch the crucial roles to be played by these magnons at other equivalent classes, with spin anisotropic interactions and in the presence of finite magnetic fields. Various experimental detections of these new phenomena are discussed. Rotated Anti-ferromagnetic Heisenberg model are also briefly mentioned.

Feshbach resonance in a synthetic non-Abelian gauge field

We study the Feshbach resonance of spin-1/2 particles in the presence of a uniform synthetic non-Abelian gauge field that produces spin orbit coupling along with constant spin potentials. We develop a renormalizable quantum field theory that includes the closed channel boson which engenders the Feshbach resonance, in the presence of the gauge field. By a study of the scattering of two particles in the presence of the gauge field, we show that the Feshbach magnetic field, where the apparent low energy scattering length diverges, depends on the conserved centre of mass momentum of the two particles. For high symmetry gauge fields, such as the one which produces an isotropic Rashba spin orbit coupling, we show that the system supports two bound states over a regime of magnetic fields for a negative background scattering length and resonance width comparable to the energy scale of the spin orbit coupling. We discuss the consequences of these findings for the many body setting, and point out that a broad resonance (width larger than spin orbit coupling energy scale) is most favourable for the realization of the rashbon condensate.

Collective excitations, emergent Galilean invariance, and boson-boson interactions across the BCS-BEC crossover induced by a synthetic Rashba spin-orbit coupling

Synthetic non-Abelian gauge fields in cold atom systems produce a Rashba spin-orbit interaction described by a vector $\blam = (\lambda_x, \lambda_y, \lambda_z)$. It was recently shown [Phys. Rev. B 84, 014512 (2011)] that on increasing $\lambda = |\blam|$, fermions at a finite density $\rho\approx\kf^3$ evolve to a BEC like state even in the presence of a weak attractive interaction (described by a scattering length $\as$). The BEC obtained at large spin-orbit coupling ($\lambda \gg k_F$) is a condensate of rashbons -- novel bosonic bound pairs of fermions whose properties are determined solely by the gauge field. Here we study the collective excitations of such superfluids by constructing a Gaussian theory using functional integral methods. We derive explicit expressions for superfluid phase stiffness, sound speed and mass of the Anderson-Higgs boson that are valid for any $\blam$ and scattering length. We find that at finite $\lambda$, the phase stiffness is always lower than that set by the density of particles, consistent with earlier work[arXiv:1110.3565] which attributed this to the lack of Galilean invariance of the system at finite $\lambda$. We show that there is an emergent Galilean invariance at large $\lambda$, and the phase stiffness is determined by the rashbon density and mass, consistent with Leggett's theorem. We further demonstrate that the rashbon BEC state is a superfluid of anisotropic rashbons interacting via a contact interaction characterized by a rashbon-rashbon scattering length $a_R$. We show that $a_R$ goes as $\lambda^{-1}$ and is essentially {\em independent} of the scattering length between the fermions as long as it is nonzero. Analytical results are presented for a rashbon BEC obtained in a spherical gauge field with $\lambda_x = \lambda_y = \lambda_z = \frac{\lambda}{\sqrt{3}}$.

BCS-BEC crossover in three-dimensional Fermi gases with spherical spin-orbit coupling

We present a systematic theoretical study of the BCS-BEC crossover problem in three-dimensional atomic Fermi gases at zero temperature with a spherical spin-orbit coupling which can be generated by a synthetic non-Abelian gauge field coupled to neutral fermions. Our investigations are based on the path integral formalism which is a powerful theoretical scheme for the study of the properties of the bound state, the superfluid ground state, and the collective excitations in the BCS-BEC crossover. At large spin-orbit coupling, the system enters the BEC state of a novel type of bound state (referred to as rashbon) which possesses a non-trivial effective mass. Analytical results and interesting universal behaviors for various physical quantities at large spin-orbit coupling are obtained. Our theoretical predictions can be tested in future experiments of cold Fermi gases with three-dimensional spherical spin-orbit coupling.

Rashbons: properties and their significance

In the presence of a synthetic non-Abelian gauge field that produces a Rashba-like spin–orbit interaction, a collection of weakly interacting fermions undergoes a crossover from a Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer (BCS) ground state to a Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) ground state when the strength of the gauge field is increased (Vyasanakere et al 2011 Phys. Rev. B 84 014512). The BEC that is obtained at large gauge coupling strengths is a condensate of tightly bound bosonic fermion pairs. The properties of these bosons are solely determined by the Rashba gauge field—hence called rashbons. In this paper, we conduct a systematic study of the properties of rashbons and their dispersion. This study reveals a new qualitative aspect of the problem of interacting fermions in non-Abelian gauge fields, i.e. that the rashbon state ceases to exist when the center-of-mass momentum of the fermions exceeds a critical value that is of the order of the gauge coupling strength. The study allows us to estimate the transition temperature of the rashbon BEC and suggests a route to enhance the exponentially small transition temperature of the system with a fixed weak attraction to the order of the Fermi temperature by tuning the strength of the non-Abelian gauge field. The nature of the rashbon dispersion, and in particular the absence of the rashbon states at large momenta, suggests a regime in parameter space where the normal state of the system will be a dynamical mixture of uncondensed rashbons and unpaired helical fermions. Such a state should show many novel features including pseudogap physics.

Trapped fermions in a synthetic non-Abelian gauge field

On increasing the coupling strength ($\lambda$) of a non-Abelian gauge field that induces a generalized Rashba spin-orbit interaction, the topology of the Fermi surface of a homogeneous gas of noninteracting fermions of density $\rho \sim \kf^3$ undergoes a change at a critical value, $\lambda_T \approx \kf$ [Phys. Rev. B {\bf 84}, 014512 (2011)]. In this paper we analyze how this phenomenon affects the size and shape of a cloud of spin-$\half$ fermions trapped in a harmonic potential such as those used in cold atom experiments. We develop an adiabatic formulation, including the concomitant Pancharatnam-Berry phase effects, for the one particle states in the presence of a trapping potential and the gauge field, obtaining approximate analytical formulae for the energy levels for some high symmetry gauge field configurations of interest. An analysis based on the local density approximation reveals that, for a given number of particles, the cloud shrinks in a {\em characteristic fashion with increasing $\lambda$}. For an isotropic harmonic trap, the local density approximation predicts a spherical cloud for all gauge field configurations, which are anisotropic in general. We show, via a calculation of the cloud shape using exact eigenstates, that for certain gauge field configurations there is systematic and observable anisotropy in the cloud shape that increases with increasing gauge coupling $\lambda$. These results should be useful in the design of cold atom experiments with fermions in non-Abelian gauge fields. An important spin-off of our adiabatic formulation is that it reveals exciting possibilities for the cold-atom realization of interesting condensed matter Hamiltonians (eg. quantum hall spherical geometry) by using a non-Abelian gauge field in conjunction with another potential.

Probing Anisotropic Superfluidity in Atomic Fermi Gases with Rashba Spin-Orbit Coupling

Motivated by the prospect of realizing a Fermi gas with a synthetic non-Abelian gauge field, we investigate theoretically a strongly interacting Fermi gas in the presence of a Rashba spin-orbit coupling. As the twofold spin degeneracy is lifted by spin-orbit interaction, bound pairs with mixed singlet and triplet components emerge, leading to an anisotropic superfluid. We calculate the relevant physical quantities, such as the momentum distribution, the single-particle spectral function, and the spin structure factor, that characterize the system.

Textures ofF=2spinor Bose-Einstein condensates with spin-orbit coupling

We study the textures of F=2 spinor Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) with spin-orbit coupling (SOC) induced by a synthetic non-Abelian gauge field. On the basis of the analysis of the SOC energy and the numerical calculation of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation, we demonstrate that the textures originate from the helical modulation of the order parameter (OP) due to the SOC. In particular, the cyclic OP consists of two-dimensional lattice textures, such as the hexagonal lattice and the 1/3-vortex lattice, commonly understandable as the two-dimensional network of the helical modulations.

BCS-BEC crossover induced by a synthetic non-Abelian gauge field

We investigate the ground state of interacting spin-$\half$ fermions (3D) at a finite density ($\rho \sim \kf^3$) in the presence of a uniform non-Abelian gauge field. The gauge field configuration (GFC) described by a vector $\blam \equiv (\lambda_x, \lambda_y, \lambda_z)$, whose magnitude $\lambda$ determines the gauge coupling strength, generates a generalized Rashba spin-orbit interaction. For a weak attractive interaction in the singlet channel described by a small negative scattering length $(\kf |\as| \lesssim 1)$, the ground state in the absence of the gauge field ($\lambda=0$) is a BCS (Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer) superfluid with large overlapping pairs. With increasing gauge coupling strength, a non-Abelian gauge field engenders a crossover of this BCS ground state to a BEC (Bose-Einstein condensate) ground state of bosons even with a weak attractive interaction that fails to produce a two-body bound state in free vacuum. For large gauge couplings $(\lambda/\kf \gg 1)$, the BEC attained is a condensate of bosons whose properties are solely determined by the gauge field (and not by the scattering length so long as it is non-zero) -- we call these bosons "rashbons". In the absence of interactions ($\as = 0^-$), the shape of the Fermi surface of the system undergoes a topological transition at a critical gauge coupling $\lambda_T$. For high symmetry gauge field configurations we show that the crossover from the BCS superfluid to the rashbon BEC occurs in the regime of $\lambda$ near $\lambda_T$. In the context of cold atomic systems, this work makes an interesting suggestion of obtaining BCS-BEC crossover through a route other than tuning the interaction between the fermions.

Erratum: Bound states of two spin-12fermions in a synthetic non-Abelian gauge field [Phys. Rev. B83, 094515 (2011)

Erratum: Bound states of two spin-12fermions in a synthetic non-Abelian gauge field [Phys. Rev. B83, 094515 (2011)

Publisher’s Note: Bound states of two spin-12fermions in a synthetic non-Abelian gauge field [Phys. Rev. B83, 094515 (2011)

Publisher’s Note: Bound states of two spin-<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mfrac><mml:mrow><mml:mn>1</mml:mn></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:mfrac></mml:mrow></mml:math>fermions in a synthetic non-Abelian gauge field [Phys. Rev. B<b>83</b>, 094515 (2011)