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Proceedings of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences

Wave dislocation lines threading interferometers

Michael Berry

Published Apr 17, 2007• 3 citations
Publisher

Abstract

In interferometers where a wave is divided into two beams that propagate along separate branches before being recombined, the closed circuit formed by the two branches must be threaded by wave dislocation lines. For a large class of interferometers, it is shown that the (signed) dislocation number, defined in a suitable asymptotic sense, jumps by +1 as the phase difference between the beams increases by 2 π . The argument is based on the single-valuedness of the wave function in the branches and leaking between them. In some cases, the jumps occur when the phase difference is an odd multiple of π . The same result holds for the Aharonov–Bohm wave function, where the waves passing above and below a flux line experience different phase shifts; in this case, where the wave is not concentrated onto branches, the threading dislocations coincide with the flux line.

DOI
10.1098/rspa.2007.1842

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In interferometers where a wave is divided into two beams that propagate along separate branches before being recombined, the closed circuit formed by the two branches must be threaded by wave dislocation lines. For a large class of interferometers, it is shown that the (signed) dislocation number, defined in a suitable asymptotic sense, jumps by +1 as the phase difference between the beams increases by 2 π . The argument is based on the single-valuedness of the wave function in the branches and leaking between them. In some cases, the jumps occur when the phase difference is an odd multiple of π . The same result holds for the Aharonov–Bohm wave function, where the waves passing above and below a flux line experience different phase shifts; in this case, where the wave is not concentrated onto branches, the threading dislocations coincide with the flux line.
The authors study the wavefronts (i.e. the surfaces of constant phase) of the wave discussed by Aharonov and Bohm, representing a beam of particles with charge q scattered by an impenetrable cylinder of radius R containing magnetic flux Phi . Defining the quantum flux parameter by alpha =q Phi /h, they show that for the case R=0 the wave psi AB possesses a wavefront dislocation on the flux line, whose strength (i.e. the number of wave crests ending on the dislocation) equals the nearest integer to alpha . When alpha passes through half-integer values, the strength changes, by wavefronts unlinking and reconnecting along a nodal surface. In quantum mechanics this phase structure is unobservable, but they devise an analogue where surface waves on water encounter an irrotational 'bathtub' vortex; in this case alpha depends on the frequency of the waves and the circulation of the vortex. Experiments show dislocation structures agreeing with those predicted. psi AB is an unusual function in which incident and scattered waves cannot be clearly separated in all asymptotic directions; they discuss its properties using a new asymptotic method.
The authors display complex wavefunctions psi j for the jth eigenstate of a particle moving freely in a domain D (whose reflecting boundary gives classically chaotic motion) threaded by a single line of magnetic flux whose strength (in quantum units) is alpha . The wavefronts (phase contours of psi j ) show the expected dislocation singularities both away from the flux line (where their strength is +or-1) and at the flux line (where the strength is the integer closest to alpha ). psi 5 shows two dislocations away from the flux line for all alpha , and the birth of a dislocation at the flux line as alpha passes the value 1/2. psi 50 shows 43 dislocations, in reasonable agreement with a semiclassical theory based on regarding psi N as a complex Gaussian random function, which predicts N dislocations in the asymptotic limit N to infinity .
If a spin-½ particle is placed in a constant uniform magnetic field for a time t during which, classically, the Larmor precession angle would be θ, then according to quantum mechanics the components of the spin part of the wave function undergo phase changes of ±θ/2. Hence, corresponding to a classical precession of 2π radians, there is a sign change of the spinor, whatever the initial polarization may be. Bernstein pointed out that this sign change can be observed by coherently splitting a fermion beam, subjecting one part to the magnetic field, and coherently recombining the parts. Evidently, the same interference effect can be achieved by subjecting the two parts of the beam to fields which would classically cause precessions of π radians in opposite senses. He noted advantages in studying neutral rather than charged particles, and outlined a proposal for an interferometry experiment with neutrons. The recent invention and application of a remarkable single-crystal neutron interferometer greatly increases the feasibility of observing the sign change. In the experiment of Ref. 3 a neutron beam is split, and the two parts follow paths of different elevations. The interference of the recombined parts exhibits the effect of gravitational potential difference between the two elevations. In the experiment which we propose, the paths could be kept at the same elevation, but phase differences would be produced by appropriate magnetic fields.
Cold-atom interferometers use guiding potentials that split the wave function of the Bose-Einstein condensate and then recombine it. We present a theoretical analysis of the wave-function recombination instability that is due to the weak nonlinearity of the condensate. It is most pronounced when the accumulated phase difference between the arms of the interferometer is close to an odd multiple of $\ensuremath{\pi}$ and consists in exponential amplification of the weak ground state mode by the strong first excited mode. The instability exists for both trapped-atom and beam interferometers.
Recent experiments (Yamamoto et al 2012 Nature Nanotechnology 7 247 ) used the transport of electrons through an Aharonov–Bohm (AB) interferometer and two coupled channels (at both ends of the interferometer) to demonstrate a manipulable flying qubit. Results included in-phase and anti-phase (AB) oscillations of the two outgoing currents as a function of the magnetic flux, for strong and weak inter-channel coupling, respectively. Here we present new experimental results for a three terminal interferometer, with a tunnel coupling between the two outgoing wires. We show that in some limits, this system is an even simpler realization of the 'two-slit' experiment. We also present a simple tight-binding theoretical model which imitates the experimental setup. For weak inter-channel coupling, the AB oscillations in the current which is reflected from the device are very small, and therefore the oscillations in the two outgoing currents must cancel each other, yielding the anti-phase behavior, independent of the length of the coupling regime. Technically, the tight binding equations within the two coupled wires have four solutions for each electronic energy. In the 'anti-phase' region all of these solutions are wave-like, oscillating with the distance along the wires. As the coupling between the wires increases, two of these solutions become evanescent, and their amplitudes decay as the electron moves in the wires. In this regime, the amplitudes of the two remaining 'running' waves are proportional to each other, with a ratio which is practically flux-independent. As a result, the two outgoing currents are proportional to each other, yielding the 'in phase' behavior. For larger coupling all the solutions are evanescent, and the outgoing currents become very small.
Abstract The phase of a quantum state changes rapidly as parameters X = (X1, X2,...) are varied near a degeneracy X*, reflecting the monopole singularity of the underlying phase 2-form V(X) at X*. The singularities may be sources or sinks of V. We study them numerically and display them graphically for two families of hamiltonians whose degeneracy structure is typical. First is a particle moving along a line segment with kinetic energy quartic in the momentum (‘quartic-momentum square well’); the X are incorporated into the boundary conditions. Second is a charged particle moving in a domain D of the plane which is threaded by a magnetic flux line of strength α, with wavefunction vanishing on the boundary ∂D (‘Aharonov-Bohm billiards’); the X are α and parameters specifying ∂D; V is not invariant under gauge transformations of the vector potential generating the flux. For Aharonov-Bohm billiards we study how the spatial patterns of phase of wavefunctions change round circuits near degeneracies; these patterns also have singularities (wavefront dislocations) that appear and disappear by colliding with each other and with ∂D.