Non-Abelian Gauge Field Optics in the Time Domain

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Wave Engineering
• Quantum Simulation

Background:

• Artificial gauge fields are crucial for wave engineering.
• Previous research focused on spatial gauge fields and pseudomagnetic phenomena.
• A gap exists in applying synthetic gauge fields to time-varying systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To generalize gauge field optics to the time domain.
• To explore light manipulation using time-varying media.
• To investigate temporal gauge field effects on optical pulses.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing time-varying media with rotating anisotropy.
• Generalizing spatial gauge fields to temporal gauge fields.
• Analyzing temporal non-Abelian interference effects.

Main Results:

• Temporal gauge fields induce pseudoelectric fields for optical pulses.
• Observed spin-dependent longitudinal shifts and Zitterbewegung (trajectory and frequency).
• Demonstrated temporal spin-precession and non-Abelian Aharonov-Bohm effects.

Conclusions:

• This work bridges synthetic gauge fields and time-varying physical systems.
• A novel approach for manipulating light with time-varying media is presented.
• Opens new avenues for optical pulse control and quantum simulation.