Direct experimental simulation of the Yang-Baxter equation

Having been introduced in the field of many bodies of statistical mechanics, the Yang-Baxter equation has become an important tool in a variety of fields of physics. In this work, we report the first direct experimental simulation of the Yang-Baxter equation using linear quantum optics. The equality between the two sides of the Yang-Baxter equation in two dimension has been demonstrated directly, and the spectral parameter transformation in the Yang-Baxter equation is explicitly confirmed. (C) 2013 Optical Society of America