Aharonov-Bohm effect in the tunnelling of a quantum rotor in a linear Paul trap

Abstract

Quantum tunnelling is a common fundamental quantum-mechanical phenomenon that originates from the wave-like characteristics of quantum particles. Although the quantum-tunnelling effect was first observed 85 years ago, some questions regarding the dynamics of quantum tunnelling remain unresolved. Here, we realise a quantum-tunnelling system using two-dimensional ionic structures in a linear Paul trap. We demonstrate that the charged particles in this quantum-tunnelling system are coupled to the vector potential of a magnetic field throughout the entire process, even during quantum tunnelling, as indicated by the manifestation of the Aharonov-Bohm effect in this system. The tunnelling rate of the structures periodically depends on the strength of the magnetic field, whose period is the same as the magnetic-flux quantum ${\varphi }_0$ through the rotor [($0.99\pm 0.07)\times {\varphi }_0$].

References in corpus (6)

• Quantum simulation of the Klein paradox with trapped ions
• Structural phase transitions in low-dimensional ion crystals
• Electrical control of a solid-state flying qubit
• Quantum zigzag transition in ion chains
• Double wells, scalar fields and quantum phase transitions in ions traps
• Superconducting Qubits and the Physics of Josephson Junctions

Cited by in corpus (17)

• Geometric phase from Aharonov-Bohm to Pancharatnam-Berry and beyond
• The squeezed Kerr oscillator: spectral kissing and phase-flip robustness
• General phase spaces: from discrete variables to rotor and continuum limits
• Revealing quantum statistics with a pair of distant atoms
• Geometric phases and the Sagnac effect: Foundational aspects and sensing applications
• Polarization operator in the 2+1 dimensional quantum electrodynamics with a nonzero fermion density in a constant uniform magnetic field
• Spatial non-adiabatic passage using geometric phases
• Coherence and realism in the Aharonov-Bohm effect
• Coherent control of 40-THz optical phonons in diamond using femtosecond optical pulses
• The time-dependent non-Abelian Aharonov-Bohm effect
• Non-Abelian Aharonov-Bohm Caging in Photonic Lattices
• Aharonov-Bohm effect with an effective complex-valued vector potential
• Coherent excitation transport through ring-shaped networks
• Magnetic forces in the absence of a classical magnetic field
• Trial wave functions for ring-trapped ions and neutral atoms: Microscopic description of the quantum space-time crystal
• Flux-Tunable Hybridization in a Double Quantum Dot Interferometer
• Experimental Proposal on Non-Abelian Aharonov-Bohm Caging Effect with a Single Trapped Ion