May 3, 2008

Electron in a rotating magnetic field

Rotating frame
Suppose we have an electron at rest in a magnetic field

B = B0 (sin α cos ωtî + sin α sin ωtĵ + cos αk̂)

So the field vector points along the polar angle α and rotates about the z-
axis with frequency ω. It is convenient to transform into the rotating frame.
At t = 0, the magnetic field is B~ = B0 cos αk̂ + B0 sin αî. At a later time
the field has rotated about the z-axis by an angle θ = ωt. If we rotate the
spinor about the z-axis we can move to a frame in which the hamiltonian is
independent of time. A rotation about z is accomplished with
iωt/2
e 0

iθσz /2 i(ωt)σz /2
R(θ) = e =e =
0 e−iωt/2
And since
ω1 h̄ cos α sin αeiωt

H= B0 (1)
2 sin αe−iωt − cos α
then

R−1 HR = H0
−iωt/2
sin αeiωt
iωt/2
e 0 ω1 h̄ cos α e 0

=
0 eiωt/2 2 sin αe−iωt − cos α 0 e−iωt/2
−iωt/2
ω1 h̄ e 0 cos αeiωt/2 sin αeiωt/2

=
2 0 eiωt/2 sin αe−iωt/2 − cos αe−iωt/2
ω1 h̄ cos α sin α

=
2 sin α − cos α

and H0 is the time independent hamiltonian in the rotating frame.

Then
∂
Hχ = RH0 R−1 χ = ih̄ χ
∂t
1
and
∂
H0 R−1 χ = ih̄R−1 χ
∂t
Since R−1 does not commute with ∂t
∂
we need to be careful in the next step.
We find that
∂ −1 ∂R−1 ∂
(R χ) = χ + R−1 χ
∂t ∂t ∂t
and also
∂R−1 iω e−iωt/2 0 ω

=− iωt/2 = −i σz R−1
∂t 2 0 −e 2
With this in mind we can write
∂ ∂ h̄ω
H0 R−1 χ = ih̄R−1 χ = ih̄ (R−1 χ) − σz R−1 χ
∂t ∂t 2
and
∂ 0 ∂
χ = ih̄ χ0
H 0 χ0 = ih̄
∂t ∂t
0 −1 0 h̄ω
where χ = R χ and H = H0 + 2 σz . Now we have a time independent
hamiltonian. To solve we can compute eigenvalues and eigenvectors to get
χ0 (t) and then transform back to the lab frame.
0
Another strategy is to construct the time translation operator e−iH t/h̄ .
First write H 0 /h̄ in the form n̂ · σλ/2
h̄ ω1 cos α + ω ω1 sin α h̄

H0 = = n̂ · σλ
2 ω1 sin α −ω1 cos α − ω 2
where
ω1 cos α + ω
nz = 1
(ω12 + 2ω1 ω cos α + ω 2 ) 2
ω1 sin α
nx = 1
(ω12 + 2ω1 ω cos α + ω 2 ) 2
ny = 0

and
1
λ = (ω12 + 2ω1 ω cos α + ω 2 ) 2
Then
0
Q(t) = e−iH t/h̄ = e−in̂·σλt/2 = cos(λt/2) − in̂ · σ sin(λt/2)

2
cos(λt/2) − i(ω1 cos α + ω) sin(λt/2)/λ −iω1 sin α sin(λt/2)/λ

=
iω1 sin α sin(λt/2)/λ cos(λt/2) + i(ω1 cos α + ω) sin(λt/2)/λ
Finally
1

0 0
χ(t) = R(t)χ (t) = R(t)Q(t)χ (t = 0) = R(t)Q(t)
0

Adiabatic approximation
If we return to the original hamiltonian H, and define ψn such that

H(t)ψn (t) = En (t)ψn (t)

then
cos(α/2) sin(α/2)eiωt

ψ1 (t) = χ+ (t) = and ψ2 (t) = χ− (t) =
sin(α/2)e−iωt − cos(α/2)
are eigenvectors of the hamiltonian(Equation1 ) with eigenvalues E± =
cos(α/2)
±h̄ω1 /2. If our initial state is χ+ = , then
sin(α/2)
χ(t) = R(t)Q(t)χ+
cos(λt/2) − i(ω1 cos α + ω) sin(λt/2)/λ −iω1 sin α sin(λt/2)/λ

= R(t)
−iω1 sin α sin(λt/2)/λ cos(λt/2) + i(ω1 cos α + ω) sin(λt/2)/λ
cos(α/2)

×
sin(α/2)
 h i
(cos(λt/2) − i ω1λ+ω sin(λt/2)) cos(α/2) eiωt/2


= 
h i


(cos(λt/2) − i ω1λ−ω sin(λt/2)) sin(α/2) e−iωt/2
ω1 + ω cos α ω sin α
= (cos(λt/2) − i sin(λt/2))eiωt/2 χ+ (t) − i sin(λt/2)e−iωt/2 χ− (t)
λ λ
In the adiabatic limit, ω ω1
ω
χ(t) = (cos(λt/2) − i(1 − cos α) sin(λt/2))eiωt/2 χ+ (t)
ω1
= (cos(λt/2) − i sin(λt/2))eiωt/2 χ+ (t)

= e−iλt/2 eiωt/2 χ+ (t)

3
and

χ(t) → e−iλt/2 eiωt/2 χ+ (t)

∼ e−i(ω1 +ω cos α)t/2 eiωt/2 χ+ (t)

Berry phase
The dynamic phase is θ+ = −ω1 t/2. The remaining phase is geometric
γ+ = (ω/2)(− cos α +1). Unfortunately I started out rotating in the negative
φ direction. If ω changes sign then γ+ = (ω/2)(cos α − 1) and Berry’s phase
is (ω/2) 2π
ω
(cos α − 1) = π(cos α − 1). 1/2 of the solid angle subtended by the
tip of magnetic field vector.
We could also get the geometric phase by
Z
∂χ+ 0
γ = i hχ+ | idt
∂t0
0
Z
0
= i ( cos(α/2) sin(α/2)eiωt ) 0 dt0
−iω sin(α/2)e−iωt
Z
= ω sin2 (α/2)dt0
= −π(1 − cos α)

That last − comes from integrating backwards.

cos(λt/2) + i cos α sin(λt/2) i sin α sin(λt/2)

Q(t) →=
i sin α sin(λt/2) cos(λt/2) − i cos α sin(λt/2)