Control of tripod-scheme cold-atom wavepackets by manipulating a non-Abelian vector potential

Journal Article · Tue Jun 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Annals of Physics (New York)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aop.2010.04.006· OSTI ID:21452978

Zhang Qi, E-mail: [e-mail].s ^[1]; Gong Jiangbin, E-mail: [e-mail].s ^[2]; NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, Singapore 117597 ^[3]; Oh, C.H., E-mail: [e-mail].s ^[1]; Institute of Advanced Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798 ^[3]

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1. Centre of Quantum Technologies and Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, 117543 (Singapore)
2. Department of Physics and Centre for Computational Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117542 (Singapore)
3. (Singapore)

Tripod-scheme cold atoms interacting with laser beams have attracted considerable interest for their role in synthesizing effective non-Abelian vector potentials. Such effective vector potentials can be exploited to realize an all-optical imprinting of geometric phases onto matter waves. By working on carefully designed extensions of our previous work, we show that coherent lattice structure of cold-atom sub-wavepackets can be formed and that the non-Abelian Aharonov-Bohm effect can be easily manifested via the translational motion of cold atoms. We also show that by changing the frame of reference, effects due to a non-Abelian vector potential may be connected with a simple dynamical phase effect, and that under certain conditions it can be understood as an Abelian geometric phase in a different frame of reference. Results should help design better schemes for the control of cold-atom matter waves.

• OSTI ID: 21452978
• Journal Information: Annals of Physics (New York), Vol. 325, Issue 6; Other Information: DOI: 10.1016/j.aop.2010.04.006; PII: S0003-4916(10)00070-9; Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; ISSN 0003-4916
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
AHARONOV-BOHM EFFECT
ATOMS
CONTROL
DE BROGLIE WAVELENGTH
GEOMETRY
LASER RADIATION
MATTER
PHOTON BEAMS
PHOTON-ATOM COLLISIONS
POTENTIALS
VECTORS
WAVE PACKETS
ATOM COLLISIONS
BEAMS
COLLISIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
MATHEMATICS
PHOTON COLLISIONS
RADIATIONS
TENSORS
WAVELENGTHS