Experimental realization of a SU(3) color-orbit coupling in an ultracold gas

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the experimental creation of SU(3) color-orbit coupling in ultracold gases using laser-induced gauge fields, revealing complex dynamics and potential for studying topological properties beyond traditional spin-orbit interactions.

Contribution

It introduces a method to realize SU(3) gauge fields in ultracold atoms and explores color-orbit coupling, extending spin-orbit concepts to higher internal symmetries.

Findings

Successful implementation of SU(3) gauge fields in ultracold gases

Observation of three-frequency oscillations analogous to neutrino oscillations

Potential for studying topological phenomena in SU(3) systems

Abstract

Spin-orbit interaction couples the spin of a particle to its motion and leads to spin-induced transport phenomena such as spin-Hall effects and Chern insulators. In this work, we extend the concept of internal-external state coupling to higher internal symmetry, exploring features beyond the established spin-orbit regime. We couple suitable resonant laser beams to a gas of ultracold atoms, thereby inducing artificial SU(3) non-Abelian gauge fields that act on a degenerate ground state manifold comprised of three dark states. We demonstrate the inherent all-state connectivity of SU(3) systems by performing targeted geometric transformations. Then, we investigate color-orbit coupling, an extension of SU(2) spin-orbit coupling to SU(3) systems. We reveal a rich dynamical interplay between three distinct oscillation frequencies, which possesses interesting analogies with neutrino oscillations and quark mixing mechanisms. In the future, the system should provide a testbed for exploring topological properties of SU(3) systems.