Analogous BMS symmetry in QED and quantum anomaly in Dirac and Weyl semimetals

Abstract

We show that the asymptotic infinite dimensional enlarged gauge symmetries constructed for QED are anomalous in Weyl semimetals. This symmetry is particularly important in particle physics for its analogy with the Bondi–Metzner–Sachs (BMS) symmetries in gravity, as well as for its connection with QED soft IR theorems. This leads to observable effects, because of the induction of a new current in the material, which carries a memory of the BMS symmetry precursor.