arXiv · 1808.02389
Quantum Electrodynamical Bloch Theory with Homogeneous Magnetic Fields
Abstract
We propose a solution to the problem of Bloch electrons in a homogeneous magnetic field by including the quantum fluctuations of the photon field. A generalized quantum electrodynamical (QED) Bloch theory from first principles is presented. In the limit of vanishing quantum fluctuations we recover the standard results of solid-state physics, for instance, the fractal spectrum of the Hofstadter butterfly. As a further application we show how the well known Landau physics is modified by the photon field and that Landau polaritons emerge. This shows that our QED-Bloch theory does not only allow to capture the physics of solid-state systems in homogeneous magnetic fields, but also novel features that appear at the interface of condensed matter physics and quantum optics.
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Vasil Rokaj, Markus Penz, Michael A Sentef, Michael Ruggenthaler, Angel Rubio. 2019-08-13. Quantum Electrodynamical Bloch Theory with Homogeneous Magnetic Fields. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.123.047202
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