Quantum continuum mechanics in a strong magnetic field

S. Pittalis, G. Vignale, and I. V. Tokatly
Phys. Rev. B 84, 245118 – Published 15 December 2011

Abstract

We extend a recent formulation of quantum continuum mechanics [J. Tao et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 086401 (2009)] to many-body systems subjected to a magnetic field. To accomplish this, we propose a modified Lagrangian approach, in which the motion of infinitesimal volume elements of the system is referred to the “quantum convective motion” that the magnetic field produces already in the ground state of the system. In the linear approximation, this approach results in a redefinition of the elastic displacement field u, such that the particle current j contains both an electric displacement and a magnetization contribution: j=j0+n0tu+×(j0×u), where n0 and j0 are the particle density and the current density of the ground state and t is the partial derivative with respect to time. In terms of this displacement, we formulate an “elastic approximation” analogous to the one proposed in the absence of magnetic field. The resulting equation of motion for u is expressed in terms of ground-state properties, the one-particle density matrix and the two-particle pair-correlation function, and in this form it neatly generalizes the equation obtained for vanishing magnetic field.

  • Received 16 September 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.84.245118

©2011 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

S. Pittalis1, G. Vignale1, and I. V. Tokatly2,3

  • 1Department of Physics, University of Missouri–Columbia, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
  • 2ETSF Scientific Development Centre, Departamento de Física de Materiales, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, Avenida Tolosa 72, E-20018 San Sebastián, Spain
  • 3IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, E-48011 Bilbao, Spain

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Issue

Vol. 84, Iss. 24 — 15 December 2011

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