arXiv subjects

Gianluca Panati

Publications and source records attributed to Gianluca Panati.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2009

Gell-Mann and Low formula for degenerate unperturbed states

The Gell-Mann and Low switching allows to transform eigenstates of an unperturbed Hamiltonian $H_0$ into eigenstates of the modified Hamiltonian $H_0 + V$. This switching can be performed when the initial eigenstate is not degenerate, under some gap conditions with the remainder of the spectrum. We show here how to extend this approach to the case when the ground state of the unperturbed Hamiltonian is degenerate. More precisely, we prove that the switching procedure can still be performed when the initial states are eigenstates of the finite rank self-adjoint operator $\cP_0 V \cP_0$, where $\cP_0$ is the projection onto a degenerate eigenspace of $H_0$.

math-ph↗

arXiv2009

The many-body Green function of degenerate systems

A rigorous non perturbative adiabatic approximation of the evolution operator in the many-body physics of degenerate systems is derived. This approximation is used to solve the long-standing problem of the choice of the initial states of H0 leading to eigenstates of H0+V for degenerate systems. These initial states are eigenstates of P0 V P0, where P0 is the projection onto a degenerate eigenspace of H0. This result is used to give the proper definition of the Green function, the statistical Green function and the non-equilibrium Green function of degenerate systems. The convergence of these Green functions is established.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

Adiabatic approximation, Gell-Mann and Low theorem and degeneracies: A pedagogical example

We study a simple system described by a 2x2 Hamiltonian and the evolution of the quantum states under the influence of a perturbation. More precisely, when the initial Hamiltonian is not degenerate,we check analytically the validity of the adiabatic approximation and verify that, even if the evolution operator has no limit for adiabatic switchings, the Gell-Mann and Low formula allows to follow the evolution of eigenstates. In the degenerate case, for generic initial eigenstates, the adiabatic approximation (obtained by two different limiting procedures) is either useless or wrong, and the Gell-Mann and Low formula does not hold. We show how to select initial states in order to avoid such failures.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2007

Motions of electrons in adiabatically perturbed periodic structures

We study the motion of electrons in a periodic background potential (usually resulting from a crystalline solid). For small velocities one would use either the non-magnetic or the magnetic Bloch hamiltonian, while in the relativistic regime one would use the Dirac equation with a periodic potential. The dynamics, with the background potential included, is perturbed either through slowly varying external electromagnetic potentials or through a slow deformation of the crystal. In either case we discuss how the Hilbert space of states decouples into almost invariant subspaces and explain the effective dynamics within such a subspace.

math-ph↗

arXiv2007

The time-dependent Born-Oppenheimer approximation

We explain why the conventional argument for deriving the time-dependent Born-Oppenheimer approximation is incomplete and review recent mathematical results, which clarify the situation and at the same time provide a systematic scheme for higher order corrections. We also present a new elementary derivation of the correct second-order time-dependent Born-Oppenheimer approximation and discuss as applications the dynamics near a conical intersection of potential surfaces and reactive scattering.

math-ph↗

arXiv2007

Exponential localization of Wannier functions in insulators

The exponential localization of Wannier functions in two or three dimensions is proven for all insulators that display time-reversal symmetry, settling a long-standing conjecture. Our proof relies on the equivalence between the existence of analytic quasi-Bloch functions and the nullity of the Chern numbers (or of the Hall current) for the system under consideration. The same equivalence implies that Chern insulators cannot display exponentially localized Wannier functions. An explicit condition for the reality of the Wannier functions is identified.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2006

Geometric currents in piezoelectricity

As a simple model for piezoelectricity we consider a gas of infinitely many non-interacting electrons subject to a slowly time-dependent periodic potential. We show that in the adiabatic limit the macroscopic current is determined by the geometry of the Bloch bundle. As a consequence we obtain the King-Smith and Vanderbilt formula up to errors smaller than any power of the adiabatic parameter.

math-ph↗

arXiv2006

Triviality of Bloch and Bloch-Dirac bundles

In the framework of the theory of an electron in a periodic potential, we reconsider the longstanding problem of the existence of smooth and periodic quasi-Bloch functions, which is shown to be equivalent to the triviality of the Bloch bundle. By exploiting the time-reversal symmetry of the Hamiltonian and some bundle-theoretic methods, we show that the problem has a positive answer for any d < 4, thus generalizing a previous result by G. Nenciu. We provide a general formulation of the result, aiming at the application to the Dirac equation with a periodic potential and to piezoelectricity.

math-ph↗

arXiv2004

Propagation of Wigner functions for the Schroedinger equation with a perturbed periodic potential

Let $V_Γ$ be a lattice periodic potential and $A$ and $ϕ$ external electromagnetic potentials which vary slowly on the scale set by the lattice spacing. It is shown that the Wigner function of a solution of the Schroedinger equation with Hamiltonian operator $H = {1/2} (-\I\nabla_x - A(εx))^2 + V_Γ(x) + ϕ(εx)$ propagates along the flow of the semiclassical model of solid states physics up an error of order $ε$. If $ε$-dependent corrections to the flow are taken into account, the error is improved to order $ε^2$. We also discuss the propagation of the Wigner measure. The results are obtained as corollaries of an Egorov type theorem proved in a previous paper (math-ph/0212041).

math-ph↗

arXiv2003

Space-Adiabatic Perturbation Theory

We study approximate solutions to the Schrödinger equation $i\epsi\partialψ_t(x)/\partial t = H(x,-i\epsi\nabla_x) ψ_t(x)$ with the Hamiltonian given as the Weyl quantization of the symbol $H(q,p)$ taking values in the space of bounded operators on the Hilbert space $\Hi_{\rm f}$ of fast ``internal'' degrees of freedom. By assumption $H(q,p)$ has an isolated energy band. Using a method of Nenciu and Sordoni \cite{NS} we prove that interband transitions are suppressed to any order in $\epsi$. As a consequence, associated to that energy band there exists a subspace of $L^2(\mathbb{R}^d,\Hi _{\rm f})$ almost invariant under the unitary time evolution. We develop a systematic perturbation scheme for the computation of effective Hamiltonians which govern approximately the intraband time evolution. As examples for the general perturbation scheme we discuss the Dirac and Born-Oppenheimer type Hamiltonians and we reconsider also the time-adiabatic theory.

math-ph↗

arXiv2003

Effective dynamics for Bloch electrons: Peierls substitution and beyond

We consider an electron moving in a periodic potential and subject to an additional slowly varying external electrostatic potential, $ϕ(\epsi x)$, and vector potential $A(\epsi x)$, with $x \in \R^d$ and $\epsi \ll 1$. We prove that associated to an isolated family of Bloch bands there exists an almost invariant subspace of $L^2(\R^d)$ and an effective Hamiltonian governing the evolution inside this subspace to all orders in $\epsi$. To leading order the effective Hamiltonian is given through the Peierls substitution. We explicitly compute the first order correction. From a semiclassical analysis of this effective quantum Hamiltonian we establish the first order correction to the standard semiclassical model of solid state physics.

math-ph↗

arXiv2002

Space-adiabatic Decoupling to All Orders

A systematic perturbation scheme is developed for approximate solutions to the time-dependent Schroedinger equation with a space-adiabatic Hamiltonian. For a particular isolated energy band, the basic approach is to separate kinematics from dynamics. The kinematics is defined through a subspace of the full Hilbert space for which transitions to other band subspaces are suppressed to all orders and the dynamics operates in that subspace in terms of an effective intraband Hamiltonian. As novel applications we discuss the Born-Oppenheimer theory to second order and derive the nonperturbative definition of the g-factor of the electron within nonrelativistic quantum electrodynamics.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2001

Zero-energy resonances and the flux -across-surfaces theorem

The flux-across-surfaces conjecture represents a corner stone in quantum scattering theory because it is the key-assumption needed to prove the usual relation between differential cross section and scattering amplitude. We improve a recent result [TDMB] by proving the conjecture also in presence of zero-energy resonances or eigenvalues, both in point and potential scattering.

math-ph↗