Einstein’s theory of general relativity and quantum theory form the two major pillars of modern physics. However, certain inertial properties of a particle’s intrinsic spin are inconspicuous while the inertial properties of mass are well known. Here, by performing a neutron interferometric experiment, we observe phase shifts arising as a consequence of the spin’s coupling with the angular velocity of a rotating magnetic field. This coupling is a purely quantum mechanical extension of the Sagnac effect. The resulting phase shifts linearly depend on the frequency of the rotation of the magnetic field. Our results agree with the predictions derived from the Pauli–Schrödinger equation.

爱因斯坦的广义相对论和量子理论构成了现代物理学的两大支柱。但是，粒子的固有自旋的某些惯性特性并不明显，而质量的惯性特性是众所周知的。在这里，通过进行中子干涉实验，我们观察到由于自旋与旋转磁场的角速度耦合而产生的相移。这种耦合是Sagnac效应的纯量子力学扩展。产生的相移线性取决于磁场的旋转频率。我们的结果与从Pauli–Schrödinger方程得出的预测一致。