1 research outputs found
Group theoretical analysis of symmetry breaking in two-dimensional quantum dots
We present a group theoretical study of the symmetry-broken unrestricted
Hartree-Fock orbitals and electron densities in the case of a two-dimensional
N-electron single quantum dot (with and without an external magnetic field).
The breaking of rotational symmetry results in canonical orbitals that (1) are
associated with the eigenvectors of a Hueckel hamiltonian having sites at the
positions determined by the equilibrium molecular configuration of the
classical N-electron problem, and (2) transform according to the irreducible
representations of the point group specified by the discrete symmetries of this
classical molecular configuration. Through restoration of the total-spin and
rotational symmetries via projection techniques, we show that the point-group
discrete symmetry of the unrestricted Hartree-Fock wave function underlies the
appearance of magic angular momenta (familiar from exact-diagonalization
studies) in the excitation spectra of the quantum dot. Furthermore, this
two-step symmetry-breaking/symmetry-restoration method accurately describes the
energy spectra associated with the magic angular momenta.Comment: A section VI.B entitled "Quantitative description of the lowest
rotational band" has been added. 16 pages. Revtex with 10 EPS figures. A
version of the manuscript with high quality figures is available at
http://calcite.physics.gatech.edu/~costas/uhf_group.html For related papers,
see http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~ph274c