Ming Che Chang

Berry phase effects on electronic properties

Ever since its discovery, the Berry phase has permeated through all branches of physics. Over the last three decades, it was gradually realized that the Berry phase of the electronic wave function can have a profound effect on material properties and is responsible for a spectrum of phenomena, such as ferroelectricity, orbital magnetism, various (quantum/anomalous/spin) Hall effects, and quantum charge pumping. This progress is summarized in a pedagogical manner in this review. We start with a brief summary of necessary background, followed by a detailed discussion of the Berry phase effect in a variety of solid state applications. A common thread of the review is the semiclassical formulation of electron dynamics, which is a versatile tool in the study of electron dynamics in the presence of electromagnetic fields and more general perturbations. Finally, we demonstrate a re-quantization method that converts a semiclassical theory to an effective quantum theory. It is clear that the Berry phase should be added as a basic ingredient to our understanding of basic material properties.

Berry phase, hyperorbits, and the Hofstadter spectrum: Semiclassical dynamics in magnetic Bloch bands.

We have derived a new set of semiclassical equations for electrons in magnetic Bloch bands. The velocity and energy of magnetic Bloch electrons are found to be modified by the Berry phase and magnetization. This semiclassical approach is used to study general electron transport in a DC or AC electric field. We also find a close connection between the cyclotron orbits in magnetic Bloch bands and the energy subbands in the Hofstadter spectrum. Based on this formalism, the pattern of band splitting, the distribution of Hall conduct- ivities, and the positions of energy subbands in the Hofstadter spectrum can be understood in a simple and unified picture.

Berry phase, hyperorbits, and the Hofstadter spectrum

We develop a semiclassical theory for the dynamics of electrons in a magnetic Bloch band, where the Berry phase plays an important role. This theory, together with the Boltzmann equation, provides a framework for studying transport problems in high magnetic fields. We also derive an Onsager-like formula for the quantization of cyclotron orbits, and we find a connection between the number of orbits and Hall conductivity. This connection is employed to explain the clustering structure of the Hofstadter spectrum. The advantage of this theory is its generality and conceptual simplicity.

Berry curvature, orbital moment, and effective quantum theory of electrons in electromagnetic fields

Berry curvature and orbital moment of the Bloch state are two basic ingredients, in addition to the band energy, that must be included in the formulation of semiclassical dynamics of electrons in crystals, in order to give proper account of thermodynamic and transport properties to first order in the electromagnetic field. These quantities are gauge invariant and have direct physical significance as demonstrated by numerous applications in recent years. Generalization to the case of degenerate bands has also been achieved recently, with important applications in spin-dependent transport. The reader is assured that a knowledge of these ingredients of the semiclassical dynamics is also sufficient for the construction of an effective quantum theory, valid to the same order of the field, using a new quantization procedure that generalizes the venerable Peierls substitution rule. We cite the relativistic Dirac electron and the carrier in semiconductors as two prime examples to demonstrate our theory and compare with previous work on such systems. We also establish general relations between different levels of effective theories in a hierarchy.

Effect of in-plane magnetic field on the spin Hall effect in a Rashba-Dresselhaus system

In a two-dimensional electron gas with Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit couplings, there are two spin-split energy surfaces connected with a degenerate point. Both the energy surfaces and the topology of the Fermi surfaces can be varied by an in-plane magnetic field. We find that, if the chemical potential falls between the bottom of the upper band and the degenerate point, then simply by changing the direction of the magnetic field, the magnitude of the spin Hall conductivity can be varied by about 100 percent. Once the chemical potential is above the degenerate point, the spin Hall conductivity becomes the constant e /8 p, independent of the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field. In addition, we find that the in-plane magnetic field exerts no influence on the charge Hall conductivity.

Magnetization plateau of the classical Ising model on the Shastry-Sutherland lattice: A tensor renormalization-group approach

We study the magnetization for the classical antiferromagnetic Ising model on the ShastrySutherland lattice using the tensor renormalization group approach. With this method, one can probe large spin systems with little finite-size effect. For a range of temperature and coupling constant, a single magnetization plateau at one third of the saturation value is found. We investigate the dependence of the plateau width on temperature and on the strength of magnetic frustration. Furthermore, the spin configuration of the plateau state at zero temperature is determined.

Chiral magnetic effect in a two-band lattice model of Weyl semimetal

Employing a two-band model of Weyl semimetal, the existence of the chiral magnetic effect (CME) is established within the linear-response theory. The crucial role played by the limiting procedure in deriving correct transport properties is clarified. Besides, in contrast to the prediction based on linearized effective models, the value of the CME coefficient in the uniform limit shows nontrivial dependence on various model parameters. Even when these parameters are away from the region of the linearized models, such that the concept of chirality may not be appropriate, this effect still exists. This implies that the Berry curvature, rather than the chiral anomaly, provides a better understanding of this effect.

Persistent currents in a graphene ring with armchair edges

A graphene nanoribbon with armchair edges is known to have no edge state. However, if the nanoribbon is in the quantum spin Hall state, then there must be helical edge states. By folding a graphene ribbon into a ring and threading it by a magnetic flux, we study the persistent charge and spin currents in the tight-binding limit. It is found that, for a broad ribbon, the edge spin current approaches a finite value independent of the radius of the ring. For a narrow ribbon, inter-edge coupling between the edge states could open the Dirac gap and reduce the overall persistent currents. Furthermore, by enhancing the Rashba coupling, we find that the persistent spin current gradually reduces to zero at a critical value beyond which the graphene is no longer a quantum spin Hall insulator.

Semiclassical dynamics and transport of the Dirac spin

Abstract A semiclassical theory of spin dynamics and transport is formulated using the Dirac electron model. This is done by constructing a wavepacket from the positive-energy electron band, and studying its structure and center of mass motion. The wavepacket has a minimal size equal to the Compton wavelength, and has self-rotation about the average spin angular momentum, which gives rise to the spin magnetic moment. Geometric gauge structure in the center of mass motion provides a natural explanation of the spin-orbit coupling and various Yafet terms. Applications of the spin-Hall and spin-Nernst effects are discussed.

Electron band structure in a two-dimensional periodic magnetic field

In this paper we study the energy spectrum of a two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in a two dimensional periodic magnetic field. Both a square magnetic lattice and a triangular one are considered. We consider the general case where the magnetic field in a cell can be of any shape. A general feature of the band structure is bandwidth oscillation as a function of the Landau index. A triangular magnetic lattice on a 2DEG can be realized by the vortex lattice of a superconductor film coated on top of a heterojunction. Our calculation indicates a way of relating the energy spectrum of the 2DEG to the vortex structure. We have also derived conditions under which the effects of a weak magnetic modulation, periodic or not, may be reproduced by an electric potential modulation, and vice versa.