An exotic physical phenomenon, known as the Aharonov-Bohm Effect, involving optical waves, synthetic magnetic fields and time reversal, has been directly observed for the first time. This new finding could eventually lead to advances toward fault-tolerant quantum computers.
To produce the effect, the MIT researchers used photon polarization, then produced two different kinds of time-reversal breaking. The experimental approach “might inspire the realization of exotic topological phases in quantum simulations using photons, polaritons, quantum gases, and superconducting qubits“. (MIT News)
