A simpel and versatile cold-atom simulator of non-Abelian gauge potentials

TL;DR

This paper presents a method using a single trapped atom in a magnetic field to simulate various non-Abelian gauge potentials, enabling the study of complex quantum phenomena like Rashba coupling and Zitterbewegung.

Contribution

It introduces a versatile and simple approach to simulate non-Abelian gauge potentials with a single atom, expanding experimental capabilities in quantum simulation.

Findings

Implementation of Rashba and Dresselhaus couplings

Observation of Zitterbewegung in a simulated Dirac particle

Demonstration of a versatile quantum simulation platform

Abstract

We show how a single, harmonically trapped atom in a tailored magnetic field can be used for simulating the effects of a broad class of non-abelian gauge potentials. We demonstrate how to implement Rashba or Linear-Dresselhaus couplings, or observe {\em Zitterbewegung} of a Dirac particle.