Renormalization of the vacuum angle in quantum mechanics, Berry phase and continuous measurements

Abstract

The vacuum angle $\theta$ renormalization is studied for a toy model of a quantum particle moving around a ring, threaded by a magnetic flux $\theta$. Different renormalization group (RG) procedures lead to the same generic RG flow diagram, similar to that of the quantum Hall effect. We argue that the renormalized value of the vacuum angle may be observed if the particle's position is measured with finite accuracy or coupled to additional slow variable, which can be viewed as a coordinate of a second (heavy) particle on the ring. In this case the renormalized $\theta$ appears as a magnetic flux this heavy particle sees, or the Berry phase, associated with its slow rotation.

arXiv comment4 pages, 2 figures

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Cited by in corpus (4)

• Zamolodchikov asymptotic formula and instanton expansion in N=2 SUSY N_f=2N_c QCD
• Neutron electric dipole moment using lattice QCD simulations at the physical point
• Holographic theories at finite $\theta$-angle, CP-violation, glueball spectra and strong-coupling instabilities
• On the macroscopic quantization in mesoscopic rings and single-electron devices