Landau levels of cold atoms in non-Abelian gauge fields

The Landau levels of cold atomic gases in non-Abelian gauge fields are analyzed. In particular we identify effects on the energy spectrum and density distribution which are purely due to the non-Abelian character of the fields. We investigate in detail non-Abelian generalizations of both the Landau and the symmetric gauge. Finally, we discuss how these non-Abelian Landau and symmetric gauges may be generated by means of realistically feasible lasers in a tripod scheme. © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.