The "Forgotten" Pseudomomenta and Gauge Changes in Generalized Landau Level Problems: Spatially Nonuniform Magnetic and Temporally Varying Electric Fields

被引:6
|
作者
Konstantinou, Georgios [1 ]
Moulopoulos, Konstantinos [1 ]
机构
[1] Univ Cyprus, Dept Phys, POB 20537, CY-1678 Nicosia, Cyprus
关键词
Gauge transformations; Landau levels; Berry phases; Dynamical symmetries; Pseudomomentum; QUANTUM-THEORY;
D O I
10.1007/s10773-017-3289-7
中图分类号
O4 [物理学];
学科分类号
0702 ;
摘要
By perceiving gauge invariance as an analytical tool in order to get insight into the states of the "generalized Landau problem" (a charged quantum particle moving inside a magnetic, and possibly electric field), and motivated by an early article that correctly warns against a naive use of gauge transformation procedures in the usual Landau problem (i.e. with the magnetic field being static and uniform), we first show how to bypass the complications pointed out in that article by solving the problem in full generality through gauge transformation techniques in a more appropriate manner. Our solution provides in simple and closed analytical forms all Landau Level-wavefunctions without the need to specify a particular vector potential. This we do by proper handling of the so-called pseudomomentum (K) over right arrow (or of a quantity that we term pseudo-angular momentum L-z), a method that is crucially different from the old warning argument, but also from standard treatments in textbooks and in research literature (where the usual Landau-wavefunctions are employed - labeled with canonical momenta quantum numbers). Most importantly, we go further by showing that a similar procedure can be followed in the more difficult case of spatially-nonuniform magnetic fields: in such case we define (K) over right arrow and L-z as plausible generalizations of the previous ordinary case, namely as appropriate line integrals of the inhomogeneous magnetic field - our method providing closed analytical expressions for all stationary state wavefunctions in an easy manner and in a broad set of geometries and gauges. It can thus be viewed as complementary to the few existing works on inhomogeneous magnetic fields, that have so far mostly focused on determining the energy eigenvalues rather than the corresponding eigenkets (on which they have claimed that, even in the simplest cases, it is not possible to obtain in closed form the associated wavefunctions). The analytical forms derived here for these wavefunctions enable us to also provide explicit Berry's phase calculations and a quick study of their connection to probability currents and to some recent interesting issues in elementary Quantum Mechanics and Condensed Matter Physics. As an added feature, we also show how the possible presence of an additional electric field can be treated through a further generalization of pseudomomenta and their proper handling.
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页码:1484 / 1503
页数:20
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