Observation of a topological and parity-dependent phase of m = 0 spin states

A Ramsey interrogation scheme was used to measure the phase shift of laser-cooled 87Rb clock-transition pseudospins arising as a result of a reversal of a bias-magnetic field, i.e., B--> -B, during the interrogation. While no phase shift occurred when the reversal was sudden, the Ramsey fringes were shifted by a factor of pi when the reversal was adiabatic. We thus verified the prediction that the spin states |F,m=0 acquire a purely topological and parity-dependent phase factor of (-1)F as a result of B--> -B.