Scattering of magnetic edge states

We consider a charged particle following the boundary of a two-dimensional domain because a homogeneous magnetic field is applied. We develop the basic scattering theory for the corresponding quantum mechanical edge states. The scattering phase attains a limit for large magnetic fields which we interpret in terms of classical trajectories.Comment: 34 pages, 2 figure

The heat kernel expansion for the electromagnetic field in a cavity

We derive the first six coefficients of the heat kernel expansion for the electromagnetic field in a cavity by relating it to the expansion for the Laplace operator acting on forms. As an application we verify that the electromagnetic Casimir energy is finite.Comment: 12 page

A general resonance theory based on Mourre's inequality

We study the perturbation of bound states embedded in the continuous spectrum which are unstable by the Fermi Golden Rule. The approach to resonance theory based on spectral deformation is extended to a more general class of quantum systems characterized by Mourre's inequality and smoothness of the resolvent. Within the framework of perturbation theory it is still possible to give a definite meaning to the notion of complex resonance energies and of corresponding metastable states. The main result is a quasi-exponential decay estimate up to a controlled error of higher order in perturbation theory.Comment: 17 page

Comparison of quantization of charge transport in periodic and open pumps

We compare the charges transported in two systems, a spatially periodic and an open quantum pump, both depending periodically and adiabatically on time. The charge transported in a cycle was computed by Thouless, respectively by Buttiker et al. in the two cases. We show that the results agree in the limit where the two physical situations become the same, i.e., that of a large open pump.Comment: 7 page

Transport and Dissipation in Quantum Pumps

This paper is about adiabatic transport in quantum pumps. The notion of ``energy shift'', a self-adjoint operator dual to the Wigner time delay, plays a role in our approach: It determines the current, the dissipation, the noise and the entropy currents in quantum pumps. We discuss the geometric and topological content of adiabatic transport and show that the mechanism of Thouless and Niu for quantized transport via Chern numbers cannot be realized in quantum pumps where Chern numbers necessarily vanish.Comment: 31 pages, 10 figure

Dynamics of a classical Hall system driven by a time-dependent Aharonov--Bohm flux

We study the dynamics of a classical particle moving in a punctured plane under the influence of a strong homogeneous magnetic field, an electrical background, and driven by a time-dependent singular flux tube through the hole. We exhibit a striking classical (de)localization effect: in the far past the trajectories are spirals around a bound center; the particle moves inward towards the flux tube loosing kinetic energy. After hitting the puncture it becomes ``conducting'': the motion is a cycloid around a center whose drift is outgoing, orthogonal to the electric field, diffusive, and without energy loss