Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: We propose a method for guiding charged particles such as electrons and protons, in vacuum, by employing the exotic properties of Lagrange points. This leap is made possible by the dynamics unfolding around these equilibrium points, which stably capture such particles, akin to the way Trojan asteroids are held in Jupiter’s orbit. Unlike traditional methodologies that allow for either focusing or three-dimensional storage of charged particles, the proposed scheme can guide both non-relativistic and relativistic electrons and protons in small cross-sectional areas in an invariant fashion over long distances without any appreciable loss in energy – in a manner analogous to photon transport in optical fibers. Here, particle guiding is achieved by employing twisted electrostatic potentials that in turn induce stable Lagrange points in vacuum. In principle, guidance can be realized within the fundamental mode of the resulting waveguide, thereby presenting a prospect for manipulating these particles in the quantum domain. Our findings may be useful in a wide range of applications in both scientific and technological pursuits. These applications could encompass electron microscopies and lithographies, particle accelerators, quantum and classical communication/sensing systems, as well as methods for shuttling entangled qubits between nodes within a quantum network. Transporting charged particles in a guided manner, similar to how optical fibers carry light signals, has the potential to profoundly impact the scientific and technological landscape. Here, the authors propose a viable method to realize these waveguides by leveraging Lagrange points created by the electrostatic potential around a carefully designed twisted wire in a vacuum.
Source: Nature Communications
Institution: University of Southern California
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,790
Funders: U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, W. M. Keck Foundation, Ministry of Defense, U.S. Air Force, Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative, Office of Naval Research, Biological and Environmental Research, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Army Research Office, Air Force Research Laboratory, Office of Naval Research Global
Awards: G1147035199, G141174884, G1523888516, G2041843291, CLASSICAL ENTANGLEMENT IN STRUCTURED OPTICAL FIELDS, G3221375167, G3452644073, G36446433, G3762869071, G3781121586, G4008846448, G4232471488, G4381744828, G4516736450, G4633436279, NEW GRANT, G5729145195, G6005641411, G6098521345, (MURI) PROGRAMMABLE SYSTEMS WITH NON-HERMITIAN QUANTUM DYNAMICS, INTEGRATIVE IMAGING OF PLANT ROOTS DURING SYMBIOSIS WITH MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI, G6877854190, G7090116110, G7271624520, GENERATING OPTICAL PULSES WITH TIME-VARYING POLARIZATION STATE, G7452299184, (MURI) NOVEL LIGHT-MATTER INTERACTIONS IN TOPOLOGICALLY NON-TRIVIAL WEYL SEMIMETAL STRUCTURES AND SYSTEMS, G7999065892, G8289759875, G8639774987, G8687731952, G8876996369
OpenAlex ID: W4401501399