Manifestation of topological phase in neutron spin rotation without adiabatic regime

Abstract

The Bitter-Dubbers (BD) experiment is an important experiment that originally aimed to measure topological phase using polarized-neutron spin rotation in a helical magnetic field under adiabatic conditions. Contrary to expectations, upon reevaluation of the BD experiment, it has been found that adiabatic conditions are not necessary for measuring topological phase. In scenarios where the magnetic field is neither homogeneous nor strong enough, and the neutron has a fast velocity, the topological phase can still be manifested. To demonstrate this, we analytically solve the time-dependent Schrodinger equation for the neutron spin rotation in general rotating systems. These exact solutions are then utilized to investigate the nonadiabatic topological phase under the conditions mentioned above. The numerical simulations of the nonadiabatic topological phase have shown a strong concurrence with the BD experimental data. This novel result extends our understanding of the topological phase observed in neutron spin rotation, even in more complex and dynamic scenarios beyond the originally required adiabatic conditions.