Journal Article

Non-Abelian gauge field optics

Shen, Jian Qi, Zhang, Ruo-Yang, Li, Jensen, Hang, Zhi Hong, Chan, C. T., Chen, Yuntian, Xiong, Zhongfei

2019

Overview

The concept of gauge field is a cornerstone of modern physics and the synthetic gauge field has emerged as a new way to manipulate particles in many disciplines. In optics, several schemes of Abelian synthetic gauge fields have been proposed. Here, we introduce a new platform for realizing synthetic SU(2) non-Abelian gauge fields acting on two-dimensional optical waves in a wide class of anisotropic materials and discover novel phenomena. We show that a virtual non-Abelian Lorentz force arising from material anisotropy can induce light beams to travel along Zitterbewegung trajectories even in homogeneous media. We further design an optical non-Abelian Aharonov–Bohm system which results in the exotic spin density interference effect. We can extract the Wilson loop of an arbitrary closed optical path from a series of gauge fixed points in the interference fringes. Our scheme offers a new route to study SU(2) gauge field related physics using optics. In optics, schemes have been proposed to realize synthetic gauge fields, but are restricted to the Abelian type. Here, the authors demonstrate synthetic SU(2) non-Abelian gauge fields in anisotropic media, which allows the study of novel optical phenomena not found in Abelian synthetic gauge field systems.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group,Nature Portfolio
• Subject: 639/624/399/1015 / 639/766/400/1105 / Anisotropy / Humanities and Social Sciences / Interference fringes / Light beams / Lorentz force / multidisciplinary / Optics / Physics / Science / Science (multidisciplinary)