Axial Gauge Fields Research Articles

Stationary two-state system in optics using layered materials

In scenarios where electrons are confined to a flat surface, such as graphene, quantizing electrodynamics reveals intriguing insights. We find that one of Maxwell’s equations manifests as part of the Hamiltonian, leading to novel constraints on physical states due to residual gauge invariance. We identify two quantum states with zero energy expectation values: one replicates the scattering and absorption of light, a phenomenon familiar in classical optics, while the other is more fundamentally associated with photon creation. These states form an inseparable two-state system, giving a new formula for reflection and transmission coefficients with photon emission effects. Notably, there exists a special thickness of the surface where these states decouple, offering intriguing possibilities for exploring physics through symmetry-based perturbations involving concepts of parity, axial gauge fields, and surface deformation.

Torsion-induced chiral magnetic current in equilibrium

We study equilibrium transport properties of massless Dirac fermions at finite temperature and chemical potential in spacetime accompanied by torsion, which in four dimensions couples with Dirac fermions as an axial gauge field. In particular, we compute the current density at the linear order in the torsion as well as in an external magnetic field with the Pauli–Villars regularization, finding that an equilibrium current akin to the chiral magnetic current is locally induced. Such torsion can be realized in condensed matter systems along a screw dislocation line, around which localized and extended current distributions are predicted so as to be relevant to Dirac and Weyl semimetals. Furthermore, we compute the current density at the linear order in the torsion as well as in a Weyl node separation, which turns out to vanish in spite of being allowed from the symmetry perspective. Contrasts of our findings with torsion-induced currents from previous work are also discussed.

Two-point functions from chiral kinetic theory in magnetized plasma

We study the two-point functions from chiral kinetic theory which characterize the response to perturbative vector and axial gauge fields in magnetized chiral plasma. In the lowest Landau level approximation, the solution of chiral kinetic equations gives density waves of electric and axial charges, which contain chiral magnetic wave implied by the axial anomaly and magnetic field. We then obtain the constitutive relations for covariant currents and stress tensor that involving the density waves. By considering the difference between consistent and covariant anomalies explicitly, the correlators of consistent currents and stress tensor satisfy derivative symmetry, and therefore allow an effective action for the perturbative gauge fields as the generating functional of the correlators. We also verify the derivative symmetry of the correlators agrees with the Onsager relations.

Quantum kinetic theory with vector and axial gauge fields

In this paper we introduce the axial gauge field to the framework of the quantum kinetic theory with vector gauge field in the massless limit. Treating axial-gauge field on an equal footing with the vector-gauge field, we construct a consistent solution to the kinetic equations up to the first order in gradient expansion or equivalently the semi-classical expansion. The intuitive extension of quantum kinetic theory presented in this work provides a natural generalization, and turns out to give rise to the covariant anomaly and the covariant currents. The corresponding consistent currents can be obtained from the covariant ones by adding the Chern-Simons current. We use the consistent currents to calculate various correlation functions among currents and energy-momentum tensor in equilibrium state.

Magnetization energy current in the axial magnetic effect

The axial magnetic effect (AME) is one of the anomalous transport phenomena in which the energy current is induced by an axial magnetic field. Here, we numerically study the AME for the relativistic Wilson fermion in the axial magnetic field and a twisted Dirac semimetal. The AME current density inside the bulk is nonzero, and particularly in the low-energy regime for the former model, it is explained by the field-theoretical results without any fitting parameter. However, for both models, the average AME current density vanishes owing to the surface contribution. The axial gauge field is regarded as the spatially modulated (effective) Zeeman field and induces the spatially modulated energy magnetization. The AME is attributed to the magnetization energy current and hence cannot be observed in transport experiments.

A Weyl semimetal from AdS/CFT with flavour

We construct a top-down holographic model of Weyl semimetal states using (3 + 1)-dimensional mathcal{N} = 4 supersymmetric SU(Nc) Yang-Mills theory, at large Nc and strong coupling, coupled to a number Nf ≪ Nc of mathcal{N} = 2 hypermultiplets with mass m. A U(1) subgroup of the R-symmetry acts on the hypermultiplet fermions as an axial symmetry. In the presence of a constant external axial gauge field in a spatial direction, b, we find the defining characteristic of a Weyl semi-metal: a quantum phase transition as m/b increases, from a topological state with non-zero anomalous Hall conductivity to a trivial insulator. The transition is first order. Remarkably, the anomalous Hall conductivity is independent of the hypermultiplet mass, taking the value dictated by the axial anomaly. At non-zero temperature the transition remains first order, and the anomalous Hall conductivity acquires non-trivial dependence on the hypermultiplet mass and temperature.

Topological piezoelectric effect and parity anomaly in nodal line semimetals

Lattice deformations act on the low-energy excitations of Dirac materials as effective axial vector fields. This allows to directly detect quantum anomalies of Dirac materials via the response to axial gauge fields. We investigate the parity anomaly in Dirac nodal line semimetals induced by lattice vibrations, and establish a topological piezoelectric effect; i.e., periodic lattice deformations generate topological Hall currents that are transverse to the deformation field. The currents induced by this piezoelectric effect are dissipationless and their magnitude is completely determined by the length of the nodal ring, leading to a semi-quantized transport coefficient. Our theoretical proposal can be experimentally realized in various nodal line semimetals, such as CaAgP and Ca$_{_3}$P${_2}$.

Fermionic dualities with axial gauge fields

The dualities that map hard-to-solve, interacting theories to free, non-interacting ones often trigger a deeper understanding of the systems to which they apply. However, simplifying assumptions such as Lorentz invariance, low dimensionality, or the absence of axial gauge fields, limit their application to a broad class of systems, including topological semimetals. Here we derive several axial field theory dualities in 2+1 and 3+1 dimensions by developing an axial slave-rotor approach capable of accounting for the axial anomaly. Our 2+1-dimensional duality suggests the existence of a dual, critical surface theory for strained three-dimensional non-symmorphic topological insulators. Our 3+1-dimensional duality maps free Dirac fermions to Dirac fermions coupled to emergent U(1) and Kalb-Ramond vector and axial gauge fields. Upon fixing an axial field configuration that breaks Lorentz invariance, this duality maps free to interacting Weyl semimetals, thereby suggesting that the quantization of the non-linear circular photogalvanic effect can be robust to certain interactions. Our work emphasizes how axial and Lorentz-breaking dualities improve our understanding of topological matter.

Surface plasmon polaritons in strained Weyl semimetals

Surface plasmon polaritons in a strained slab of a Weyl semimetal with broken time-reversal symmetry are investigated. It is found that the strain-induced axial gauge field reduces frequencies of these collective modes for intermediate values of the wave vector. Depending on the relative orientation of the separation of Weyl nodes in momentum space, the surface normal, and the direction of propagation, the dispersion relation of surface plasmon polaritons could be nonreciprocal even in a thin slab. In addition, strain-induced axial gauge fields can significantly affect the localization properties of the collective modes. These effects allow for an in situ control of the propagation of surface plasmon polaritons in Weyl semimetals and might be useful for creating nonreciprocal devices.

Dirac, Majorana, Weyl in 4D

This is a review of some elementary properties of Dirac, Weyl and Majorana spinors in 4D. We focus in particular on the differences between massless Dirac and Majorana fermions, on one side, and Weyl fermions, on the other. We review in detail the definition of their effective actions, when coupled to (vector and axial) gauge fields, and revisit the corresponding anomalies using the Feynman diagram method with different regularisations. Among various well known results we stress in particular the regularisation independence in perturbative approaches, while not all the regularisations fit the non-perturbative ones. As for anomalies, we highlight in particular one perhaps not so well known feature: the rigid relation between chiral and trace anomalies.

Magnetism and anomalous transport in the Weyl semimetal PrAlGe: possible route to axial gauge fields

In magnetic Weyl semimetals, where magnetism breaks time-reversal symmetry, large magnetically sensitive anomalous transport responses are anticipated that could be useful for topological spintronics. The identification of new magnetic Weyl semimetals is therefore in high demand, particularly since in these systems Weyl node configurations may be easily modified using magnetic fields. Here we explore experimentally the magnetic semimetal PrAlGe, and unveil a direct correspondence between easy-axis Pr ferromagnetism and anomalous Hall and Nernst effects. With sizes of both the anomalous Hall conductivity and Nernst effect in good quantitative agreement with first principles calculations, we identify PrAlGe as a system where magnetic fields can connect directly to Weyl nodes via the Pr magnetisation. Furthermore, we find the predominantly easy-axis ferromagnetic ground state co-exists with a low density of nanoscale textured magnetic domain walls. We describe how such nanoscale magnetic textures could serve as a local platform for tunable axial gauge fields of Weyl fermions.

Chiral sound waves in strained Weyl semimetals

We show that a strained wire of a Weyl semimetal supports a new type of gapless excitation, the chiral sound wave (CSW). It is a longitudinal charge density wave analog to the chiral magnetic wave predicted in the quark-gluon plasma but driven by an elastic axial pseudo-magnetic field. It involves the axial-axial-axial contribution to the chiral anomaly which couples the chiral charge density to the elastic axial gauge field. The chiral sound is unidirectional: it propagates along the elastic magnetic field and not in the opposite direction. The CSW may propagate for long distances as it does not couple directly to quickly dissipating electromagnetic plasmons, while its damping is controlled by the slow chirality flip rate. We propose an experimental setup to directly detect the chiral sound, which is excited by mechanical vibrations of the crystal lattice in the GHz frequency range. Our findings contribute to a new trend, the chiral acoustics, in strained Weyl semimetals.

Charged fermion in two-dimensional curved spaces of constant Gaussian curvature with constant magnetic flux

We investigate the behavior of spin-1/2 particles (electron and positron) confined to the Gaussian curvature surfaces. For the non-negative Gaussian curvatures, we present the preliminary results in cylindrical and spherical cases. To be specific we use the deformed hyperbolic solutions to obtain eigenvalues of the Dirac equation in the presence of an axial gauge field. Our results demonstrate the quantized energy and eigenstates of fermion. The quantization of energy depends on the spin-orbit coupling and the Landau quantization. The imaginary energy is obtained from the negative Gaussian curvatures. It is interpreted as the quasi normal mode (QNM). The angular momentum of fermion is shifted by addition of the constant magnetic flux. The fermion behaves like boson when the flux is half-integer.

Magnetic Textures and Dynamics in Magnetic Weyl Semimetals

AbstractRecent theoretical and experimental attempts have been successful in finding magnetic Weyl semimetal phases, which show nodal‐point structure in the electronic bands as well as magnetic orders. Beyond uniform ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic orders, nonuniform magnetic textures, such as domain walls and skyrmions, enrich the properties of the Weyl electrons even more in such materials. Here, a topical review on interplay between Weyl electrons and magnetic textures in those magnetic Weyl semimetals is given. The basics of magnetic textures in nontopological magnetic metals are reviewed first, and then the effect of magnetic textures in Weyl semimetals is discussed, regarding the recent theoretical and experimental progress therein. The idea of the fictitious “axial gauge fields” is pointed out, which effectively describes the effect of magnetic textures on the Weyl electrons and can well account for the properties of the electrons localized around magnetic domain walls.

Torsional response and Liouville anomaly in Weyl semimetals with dislocations

Weyl nodes in three-dimensional Weyl semimetals break the Liouville equation, leading to the Liouville anomaly. Here we present a new approach to derive the semiclassical action and equations of motion for Weyl fermions in the presence of electromagnetic fields and torsions from the quantum field theory: combining the Wigner transformation with band projection operation. It has been shown that the Liouville anomaly, including a new pure torsion anomaly term, a mixing term between the electromagnetic fields and torsions as well as the conventional chiral anomaly, entirely differs from the counterpart of axial gauge fields. We find various torsional responses and reproduce the chiral vortical effect and the torsional chiral magnetic effect. A new torsion modified anomalous Hall effect due to the mixing term in the Liouville anomaly is predicted and its implementation is also discussed. Therefore, our work not only provides new insights into the torsional responses for Weyl fermions but also acts as a starting point to investigate their topological responses.

Tunable axial gauge fields in engineered Weyl semimetals: semiclassical analysis and optical lattice implementations

In this work, we describe a toolbox to realize and probe synthetic axial gauge fields in engineered Weyl semimetals. These synthetic electromagnetic fields, which are sensitive to the chirality associated with Weyl nodes, emerge due to spatially and temporally dependent shifts of the corresponding Weyl momenta. First, we introduce two realistic models, inspired by recent cold-atom developments, which are particularly suitable for the exploration of these synthetic axial gauge fields. Second, we describe how to realize and measure the effects of such axial fields through center-of-mass observables, based on semiclassical equations of motion and exact numerical simulations. In particular, we suggest realistic protocols to reveal an axial Hall response due to the axial electric field , as well as axial cyclotron orbits and chiral pseudo-magnetic effect due to the axial magnetic field .

Axial Hall effect and universality of holographic Weyl semi-metals

The holographic Weyl semimetal is a model of a strongly coupled topological semi-metal. A topological quantum phase transition separates a topological phase with non-vanishing anomalous Hall conductivity from a trivial state. We investigate how this phase transition depends on the parameters of the scalar potential (mass and quartic self coupling) finding that the quantum phase transition persists for a large region in parameter space. We then compute the axial Hall conductivity. The algebraic structure of the axial anomaly predicts it to be 1/3 of the electric Hall conductivity. We find that this holds once a non-trivial renormalization effect on the external axial gauge fields is taken into account. Finally we show that the phase transition also occurs in a top-down model based on a consistent truncation of type IIB supergravity.

Elastic Gauge Fields in Weyl Semimetals.

We show that, as happens in graphene, elastic deformations couple to the electronic degrees of freedom as pseudogauge fields in Weyl semimetals. We derive the form of the elastic gauge fields in a tight-binding model hosting Weyl nodes and see that this vector electron-phonon coupling is chiral, providing an example of axial gauge fields in three dimensions. As an example of the new response functions that arise associated with these elastic gauge fields, we derive a nonzero phonon Hall viscosity for the neutral system at zero temperature. The axial nature of the fields provides a test of the chiral anomaly in high energy with three axial vector couplings.

Chiral gauge theory for the graphene edge

An effective-mass theory with a deformation-induced (an axial) gauge field is proposed as a theoretical framework to study graphene edge. Though the gauge field is singular at edge, it can represent the boundary condition and this framework is adopted to solve the scattering problems for the zigzag and armchair edges. Furthermore, we solve the scattering problem in the presence of a mass term and an electromagnetic field. It is shown that the mass term makes the standing wave at the Dirac point avoid the zigzag edge, by which the local density of states disappears, and the lowest and first Landau states are special near the zigzag edge. The (chiral) gauge theory framework provides a useful description of graphene edge.

Topological insulator on the kagome lattice

Itinerant electrons in a two-dimensional Kagome lattice form a Dirac semi-metal, similar to graphene. When lattice and spin symmetries are broken by various periodic perturbations this semi-metal is shown to spawn interesting non-magnetic insulating phases. These include a two-dimensional topological insulator with a non-trivial Z_2 invariant and robust gapless edge states, as well as dimerized and trimerized `Kekule' insulators. The latter two are topologically trivial but the Kekule phase possesses a complex order parameter with fractionally charged vortex excitations. A charge density wave is shown to couple to the Dirac fermions as an effective axial gauge field.