Semiclassical energy levels of electrons in metals with band degeneracy lines

Abstract

We show that in calculating the semiclassical energy levels of electrons in metals located in a magnetic field, one must determine whether or not the corresponding electron paths in the space of wave vectors k are attached to a band degeneracy line. Calculations in the two possible cases, i.e., with and without such attachment, differ by |e|ℏ/2m*c, where e is the electron charge and m* is the cyclotron mass of the electron. This shift in the energy levels is of a topological nature, and its existence depends neither on the specific form of the electron dispersion relation e(k) near the electron path nor on the shape or size of this path. The reason for this shift lies in the fact that the electron orbit is attached to the band degeneracy line, which is the line of singular points of the Bloch wave functions. In many respects this effect is similar to the Aharonov-Bohm effect if the band degeneracy line is considered an infinitely thin “solenoid.” This shift in energy levels should become apparent in studies of oscillation phenomena in metals. We give examples of metals in which the conditions for observing the shift is probably the most favorable.