A cold-atom quantum simulator for SU(2) Yang-Mills lattice gauge theory

TL;DR

This paper proposes a method to simulate SU(2) Yang-Mills lattice gauge theory using ultracold atoms, where gauge invariance naturally arises from angular momentum conservation, enabling exploration of non-abelian gauge phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces a novel ultracold atom setup for simulating non-abelian gauge theories with inherent gauge invariance from angular momentum conservation.

Findings

Gauge invariance is a direct consequence of angular momentum conservation.

The model provides a robust and fundamental realization of SU(2) lattice gauge theory.

Potential for extension to higher-dimensional simulations.

Abstract

Non-abelian gauge theories play an important role in the standard model of particle physics, and unfold a partially unexplored world of exciting physical phenomena. In this letter, we suggest a realization of a non-abelian lattice gauge theory - SU(2) Yang-Mills in 1+1 dimensions, using ultracold atoms. Remarkably, and in contrast to previous proposals, in our model gauge invariance is a direct consequence of angular momentum conservation and thus is fundamental and robust. Our proposal may serve as well as a starting point for higher dimensional realizations.