Gauge symmetry breaking and topological quantization for the Pauli Hamiltonian

Abstract

We discuss the Pauli Hamiltonian within a $SU(2)$ 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 results 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.

7 pages, 1 figure

References in corpus (8)

• Electric Field Effect in Atomically Thin Carbon Films
• Quantum Spin Hall Effect and Topological Phase Transition in HgTe Quantum Wells
• Dissipationless Quantum Spin Current at Room Temperature
• Intrinsic and Rashba Spin-orbit Interactions in Graphene Sheets
• Quantum Spin Hall Effect and Topologically Invariant Chern Numbers
• Spin current and polarization in impure 2D electron systems with spin-orbit coupling
• Spin Accumulation and Equilibrium Currents at the Edge of 2DEGs with Spin-Orbit Coupling
• Mechanical measurement of equilibrium spin currents in the Rashba medium

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Spin superfluidity and spin-orbit gauge symmetry fixing
• Spin current generation and control in carbon nanotubes by combining rotation and magnetic field
• Pure Gauge Spin-Orbit Couplings
• Spin polarization via decoherence in spin-orbit active media coupled to an electron reservoir