| Issue |
EPL
Volume 83, Number 4, August 2008
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Article Number | 47005 | |
| Number of page(s) | 5 | |
| Section | Condensed Matter: Electronic Structure, Electrical, Magnetic and Optical Properties | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1209/0295-5075/83/47005 | |
| Published online | 04 August 2008 | |
Gauge symmetry breaking and topological quantization for the Pauli Hamiltonian
1
Centro de Física, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas - Apartado 21874, Caracas 1020-A, Venezuela
2
Laboratoire de Physique des Matériaux, Université Henri Poincaré, Nancy 1 - 54506 Vandœuvre les Nancy Cedex, France, EU
Corresponding author: ernestomed@gmail.com
Received:
7
May
2008
Accepted:
25
June
2008
We discuss the Pauli Hamiltonian within a 
gauge theory interpretation, where the gauge symmetry is broken. This interpretation carries directly over to the structural inversion asymmetric spin-orbit interactions in semiconductors and offers new insight into the problem of spin currents in the condensed-matter environment. The central result is that symmetry breaking leads to zero spin conductivity in contrast to predictions of gauge symmetric treatments. Computing the translation operator commutation relations comprising the simplest possible structural inversion asymmetry due to an external electric field, we derive a new condition for orbit quantization. The relation between the topological nature of this effect is consistent with our non-Abelian gauge symmetry breaking scenario.
PACS: 71.70.Ej – Spin-orbit coupling, Zeeman and Stark splitting, Jahn-Teller effect / 72.25.-b – Spin polarized transport / 73.43.Nq – Quantum phase transitions
© EPLA, 2008
Current usage metrics show cumulative count of Article Views (full-text article views including HTML views, PDF and ePub downloads, according to the available data) and Abstracts Views on Vision4Press platform.
Data correspond to usage on the plateform after 2015. The current usage metrics is available 48-96 hours after online publication and is updated daily on week days.
Initial download of the metrics may take a while.