Non-Abelian gauge field optics in the time domain

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel concept of gauge field optics in the time domain using time-varying media, revealing new effects like pseudo-electric fields and non-Abelian interference in optical pulses.

Contribution

It generalizes gauge field optics to the time domain, demonstrating how time-varying media can induce pseudo-electric fields and non-Abelian interference effects on light.

Findings

Time-varying media induce pseudo-electric fields affecting optical pulses.

Observation of spin-dependent shifts and Zitterbewegung in the time domain.

Analysis of temporal non-Abelian interference and Aharonov-Bohm effects.

Abstract

Artificial gauge fields open up burgeoning opportunities for wave engineering in different disciplines. So far,previous works have mostly focused on synthesizing spatial gauge fields, where the pseudo-magnetic fields lie at the heart of these phenomena. In this Letter, we generalize the paradigm of gauge field optics to the time domain by using time-varying media with rotating anisotropy. Dual to its spatial counterpart, the temporal gauge field induces a pseudo-electric field for optical pulses, leading to the spin-dependent longitudinal shift and Zitterbewegung for both trajectory and frequency. In addition, we analyze the temporal non-Abelian interference effect induced by temporally bounded non-Abelian gauge field media, which results in the temporal spin-precession and the temporal analogy of the non-Abelian Aharonov-Bohm effect. Our work not only fills the gap between synthetic gauge fields and time-varying physical systems, but also provides a fundamentally new approach for manipulating light with time-varying media.