Hidden symmetries of Eisenhart-Duval lift metrics and the Dirac equation with flux

The Eisenhart-Duval lift allows embedding non-relativistic theories into a Lorentzian geometrical setting. In this paper we study the lift from the point of view of the Dirac equation and its hidden symmetries. We show that dimensional reduction of the Dirac equation for the Eisenhart-Duval metric in general gives rise to the non-relativistic Levy-Leblond equation in lower dimension. We study in detail in which specific cases the lower dimensional limit is given by the Dirac equation, with scalar and vector flux, and the relation between lift, reduction and the hidden symmetries of the Dirac equation. While there is a precise correspondence in the case of the lower dimensional massive Dirac equation with no flux, we find that for generic fluxes it is not possible to lift or reduce all solutions and hidden symmetries. As a by-product of this analysis we construct new Lorentzian metrics with special tensors by lifting Killing-Yano and Closed Conformal Killing-Yano tensors and describe the general Conformal Killing-Yano tensor of the Eisenhart-Duval lift metrics in terms of lower dimensional forms. Lastly, we show how dimensionally reducing the higher dimensional operators of the massless Dirac equation that are associated to shared hidden symmetries it is possible to recover hidden symmetry operators for the Dirac equation with flux.Comment: 18 pages, no figures. Version 3: some typos corrected, some discussions clarified, part of the abstract change

Curvatronics with bilayer graphene in an effective 4D4D spacetime

We show that in AB stacked bilayer graphene low energy excitations around the semimetallic points are described by massless, four dimensional Dirac fermions. There is an effective reconstruction of the 4 dimensional spacetime, including in particular the dimension perpendicular to the sheet, that arises dynamically from the physical graphene sheet and the interactions experienced by the carriers. The effective spacetime is the Eisenhart-Duval lift of the dynamics experienced by Galilei invariant L\'evy-Leblond spin $\frac{1}{2}$ particles near the Dirac points. We find that changing the intrinsic curvature of the bilayer sheet induces a change in the energy level of the electronic bands, switching from a conducting regime for negative curvature to an insulating one when curvature is positive. In particular, curving graphene bilayers allows opening or closing the energy gap between conduction and valence bands, a key effect for electronic devices. Thus using curvature as a tunable parameter opens the way for the beginning of curvatronics in bilayer graphene.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures. Revised version with additional materia

Is the pseudogap a topological state?

We conjecture that the pseudogap is an inhomogeneous condensate above the homogeneous state whose existence is granted by topological stability. We consider the simplest possible order parameter theory that provides this interpretation of the pseudogap and study its angular momentum states. The normal state gap density, the breaking of the time reversal symmetry and the checkerboard pattern are naturally explained under this view. The pseudogap is a lattice of skyrmions and the inner weak local magnetic field falls below the experimental threshold of observation given by NMR/NQR and $\mu$SR experiments.Comment: 12 pages, six figures, one tabl

Topologically stable gapped state in a layered superconductor

We show that a layered superconductor, described by a two-component order parameter, has a gapped state above the ground state, topologically protected from decay, containing flow and counter flow in the absence of an applied magnetic field. This state is made of skyrmions, breaks time reversal symmetry and produces a weak local magnetic field below the present threshold of detection by $\mu$SR and NMR/NQR. We estimate the density of carriers that condense into the pseudogap.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Eisenhart lifts and symmetries of time-dependent systems

Certain dissipative systems, such as Caldirola and Kannai's damped simple harmonic oscillator, may be modelled by time-dependent Lagrangian and hence time dependent Hamiltonian systems with $n$ degrees of freedom. In this paper we treat these systems, their projective and conformal symmetries as well as their quantisation from the point of view of the Eisenhart lift to a Bargmann spacetime in $n+2$ dimensions, equipped with its covariantly constant null Killing vector field. Reparametrization of the time variable corresponds to conformal rescalings of the Bargmann metric. We show how the Arnold map lifts to Bargmann spacetime. We contrast the greater generality of the Caldirola-Kannai approach with that of Arnold and Bateman. At the level of quantum mechanics, we are able to show how the relevant Schr\"odinger equation emerges naturally using the techniques of quantum field theory in curved spacetimes, since a covariantly constant null Killing vector field gives rise to well defined one particle Hilbert space. Time-dependent Lagrangians arise naturally also in cosmology and give rise to the phenomenon of Hubble friction. We provide an account of this for Friedmann-Lemaitre and Bianchi cosmologies and how it fits in with our previous discussion in the non-relativistic limit.Comment: 34 pages, no figures. Minor corrections, some references adde

Godel-type Metrics in Various Dimensions II: Inclusion of a Dilaton Field

This is the continuation of an earlier work where Godel-type metrics were defined and used for producing new solutions in various dimensions. Here a simplifying technical assumption is relaxed which, among other things, basically amounts to introducing a dilaton field to the models considered. It is explicitly shown that the conformally transformed Godel-type metrics can be used in solving a rather general class of Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton-3-form field theories in D >= 6 dimensions. All field equations can be reduced to a simple "Maxwell equation" in the relevant (D-1)-dimensional Riemannian background due to a neat construction that relates the matter fields. These tools are then used in obtaining exact solutions to the bosonic parts of various supergravity theories. It is shown that there is a wide range of suitable backgrounds that can be used in producing solutions. For the specific case of (D-1)-dimensional trivially flat Riemannian backgrounds, the D-dimensional generalizations of the well known Majumdar-Papapetrou metrics of general relativity arise naturally.Comment: REVTeX4, 17 pp., no figures, a few clarifying remarks added and grammatical errors correcte

Commuting symmetry operators of the Dirac equation, Killing-Yano and Schouten-Nijenhuis brackets

In this paper we derive the most general first-order symmetry operator commuting with the Dirac operator in all dimensions and signatures. Such an operator splits into Clifford even and Clifford odd parts which are given in terms of odd Killing-Yano and even closed conformal Killing-Yano inhomogeneous forms respectively. We study commutators of these symmetry operators and give necessary and sufficient conditions under which they remain of the first-order. In this specific setting we can introduce a Killing-Yano bracket, a bilinear operation acting on odd Killing-Yano and even closed conformal Killing-Yano forms, and demonstrate that it is closely related to the Schouten-Nijenhuis bracket. An important non-trivial example of vanishing Killing-Yano brackets is given by Dirac symmetry operators generated from the principal conformal Killing-Yano tensor [hep-th/0612029]. We show that among these operators one can find a complete subset of mutually commuting operators. These operators underlie separability of the Dirac equation in Kerr-NUT-(A)dS spacetimes in all dimensions [arXiv:0711.0078].Comment: 37 pages, no figure