Optical simulation of the free Dirac equation
Abstract
We present a classical optics simulation of the one-dimensional Dirac equation for a free particle. Positive and negative energy components are represented by orthogonal polarizations of a free propagating beam, while the spatial profile represents the spatial wave function of the particle. Using a completely tunable time parameter, we observed the oscillation of the average value of the Dirac position operator - known as zitterbewegung (ZB). We are also able to measure the so called mean-position operator which is a single-particle observable and presents no oscillations. Our work opens the way for optical simulation of interesting phenomenon of relativistic systems, as well as condensed-matter physics, without any requirement for specially engineered medium.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1902.04012,
title = {Optical simulation of the free Dirac equation},
author = {Thais de Lima Silva and Emile R. F. Taillebois and Rafael. M. Gomes and Stephen P. Walborn and Ardiley T. Avelar},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1902.04012},
year = {2019}
}