Identifying topological-band insulator transitions in silicene and other 2D gapped Dirac materials by means of R\'enyi-Wehrl entropy

We propose a new method to identify transitions from a topological insulator to a band insulator in silicene (the silicon equivalent of graphene) in the presence of perpendicular magnetic and electric fields, by using the R\'enyi-Wehrl entropy of the quantum state in phase space. Electron-hole entropies display an inversion/crossing behavior at the charge neutrality point for any Landau level, and the combined entropy of particles plus holes turns out to be maximum at this critical point. The result is interpreted in terms of delocalization of the quantum state in phase space. The entropic description presented in this work will be valid in general 2D gapped Dirac materials, with a strong intrinsic spin-orbit interaction, isoestructural with silicene.Comment: to appear in EP

Searching for pairing energies in phase space

We obtain a representation of pairing energies in phase space, for the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick and general boson Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer pairing models. This is done by means of a probability distribution of the quantum state in phase space. In fact, we prove a correspondence between the points at which this probability distribution vanishes and the pairing energies. In principle, the vanishing of this probability distribution is experimentally accessible and additionally gives a method to visualize pairing energies across the model control parameter space. This result opens new ways to experimentally approach quantum pairing systems.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Coherent States of Accelerated Relativistic Quantum Particles, Vacuum Radiation and the Spontaneous Breakdown of the Conformal SU(2,2) Symmetry

We give a quantum mechanical description of accelerated relativistic particles in the framework of Coherent States (CS) of the (3+1)-dimensional conformal group SU(2,2), with the role of accelerations played by special conformal transformations and with the role of (proper) time translations played by dilations. The accelerated ground state $\tilde\phi_0$ of first quantization is a CS of the conformal group. We compute the distribution function giving the occupation number of each energy level in $\tilde\phi_0$ and, with it, the partition function Z, mean energy E and entropy S, which resemble that of an "Einstein Solid". An effective temperature T can be assigned to this "accelerated ensemble" through the thermodynamic expression dE/dS, which leads to a (non linear) relation between acceleration and temperature different from Unruh's (linear) formula. Then we construct the corresponding conformal-SU(2,2)-invariant second quantized theory and its spontaneous breakdown when selecting Poincar\'e-invariant degenerated \theta-vacua (namely, coherent states of conformal zero modes). Special conformal transformations (accelerations) destabilize the Poincar\'e vacuum and make it to radiate.Comment: 25 pages, LaTeX, 3 figures. Additional information (resulting in four extra pages) and a slight change of focus has been introduced in order to make the line of arguments more clear. Title changed accordingl

Conformal Spinning Quantum Particles in Complex Minkowski Space as Constrained Nonlinear Sigma Models in U(2,2) and Born's Reciprocity

We revise the use of 8-dimensional conformal, complex (Cartan) domains as a base for the construction of conformally invariant quantum (field) theory, either as phase or configuration spaces. We follow a gauge-invariant Lagrangian approach (of nonlinear sigma-model type) and use a generalized Dirac method for the quantization of constrained systems, which resembles in some aspects the standard approach to quantizing coadjoint orbits of a group G. Physical wave functions, Haar measures, orthonormal basis and reproducing (Bergman) kernels are explicitly calculated in and holomorphic picture in these Cartan domains for both scalar and spinning quantum particles. Similarities and differences with other results in the literature are also discussed and an extension of Schwinger's Master Theorem is commented in connection with closure relations. An adaptation of the Born's Reciprocity Principle (BRP) to the conformal relativity, the replacement of space-time by the 8-dimensional conformal domain at short distances and the existence of a maximal acceleration are also put forward.Comment: 33 pages, no figures, LaTe

Coupling Nonlinear Sigma-Matter to Yang-Mills Fields: Symmetry Breaking Patterns

We extend the traditional formulation of Gauge Field Theory by incorporating the (non-Abelian) gauge group parameters (traditionally simple spectators) as new dynamical (nonlinear-sigma-model-type) fields. These new fields interact with the usual Yang-Mills fields through a generalized minimal coupling prescription, which resembles the so-called Stueckelberg transformation, but for the non-Abelian case. Here we study the case of internal gauge symmetry groups, in particular, unitary groups U(N). We show how to couple standard Yang-Mills Theory to Nonlinear-Sigma Models on cosets of U(N): complex projective, Grassman and flag manifolds. These different couplings lead to distinct (chiral) symmetry breaking patterns and \emph{Higgs-less} mass-generating mechanisms for Yang-Mills fields.Comment: 11 pages. To appear in Journal of Nonlinear Mathematical Physic