No Arabic abstract
The paper draws the attention to the spatiotemporal symmetry of various vector-like physical quantities. The symmetry is specified by their invariance under the action of symmetry operations of the Opechowski nonrelativistic space-time rotation group O(3).{1, 1}= O(3), where 1 is time-reversal operation. It is argued that along with the canonical polar vector, there are another 7 symmetrically distinct classes of stationary physical quantities, which can be - and often are - denoted as standard three-components vectors, even though they do not transform as a static polar vector under all operations of O(3). The octet of symmetrically distinct directional quantities can be exemplified by: two kinds of polar vectors (electric dipole moment P and magnetic toroidal moment T, two kinds of axial vectors (magnetization M and electric toroidal moment G), two kinds of chiral bi-directors C and F (associated with the so-called true and false chirality, resp.) and still another two achiral bi-directors N and L, transforming as the nematic liquid crystal order parameter and as the antiferromagnetic order parameter of the hematite crystal alpha-Fe2O3, respectively.
The hodograph of the Kepler-Coulomb problem, that is, the path traced by its velocity vector, is shown to be a circle and then it is used to investigate other properties of the motion. We obtain the configuration space orbits of the problem starting from initial conditions given using nothing more than the methods of synthetic geometry so close to Newtons approach. The method works with elliptic, parabolic and hyperbolic orbits; it can even be used to derive Rutherfords relation from which the scattering cross section can be easily evaluated. We think our discussion is both interesting and useful inasmuch as it serves to relate the initial conditions with the corresponding trajectories in a purely geometrical way uncovering in the process some seldom discussed interesting connections.
Parity-Time (PT) symmetric systems have been widely recognized as fundamental building blocks for the development of novel, ultra-sensitive opto-electronic devices. However, arguably one of their major drawbacks is that they rely on non-linear amplification processes that could limit their potential applications, particularly in the quantum realm. In this work, we show both theoretically and experimentally that gain-loss, PT-symmetric systems can be designed by means of linear, time-modulated components. More specifically, by making use of a state-of-the-art, fully reconfigurable electronic platform, we demonstrate that PT-symmetry breaking transitions can be observed by properly modulating the inductance (L) and the capacitance (C) of a single LC circuit. Importantly, the lossless dynamic-variations of the electrical components used in our LC circuits allow us to control the static and periodic (Floquet) regimes of our PT-symmetric system. Our results challenge the conventional wisdom that at least two-oscillator systems are needed for observing PT-symmetric phenomena, and provide a new perspective in the field of synthetic PT symmetry with important implications for sensing, energy transfer and topology.
In the understanding of the fundamental interactions, the origin of an arrow of time is viewed as problematic. However, quantum field theory has an arrow of causality, which tells us which time direction is the past lightcone and which is the future. This direction is tied to the conventions used in the quantization procedures. The different possible causal directions have related physics - in this sense they are covariant under time-reversal. However, only one causal direction emerges for a given set of conventions. This causal arrow tells us the direction that scattering reactions proceed. The time direction of scattering in turn tells us the time direction for which entropy increases - the so-called arrow of thermodynamics. This connection is overlooked in most discussions of the arrow of time.
Time-reversal (T) symmetry breaking is a fundamental physics concept underpinning a broad science and technology area, including topological magnets, axion physics, dissipationless Hall currents, or spintronic memories. A best known conventional model of macroscopic T-symmetry breaking is a ferromagnetic order of itinerant Bloch electrons with an isotropic spin interaction in momentum space. Anisotropic electron interactions, on the other hand, have been a domain of correlated quantum phases, such as the T-invariant nematics or unconventional superconductors. Here we report discovery of a broken-T phase of itinerant Bloch electrons with an unconventional anisotropic spin-momentum interaction, whose staggered nature leads to the formation of two ferromagnetic-like valleys in the momentum space with opposite spin splittings. We describe qualitatively the effect by deriving a non-relativistic single-particle Hamiltonian model. Next, we identify the unconventional staggered spin-momentum interaction by first-principles electronic structure calculations in a four-sublattice antiferromagnet Mn5Si3 with a collinear checkerboard magnetic order. We show that the staggered spin-momentum interaction is set by nonrelativistic spin-symmetries which were previously omitted in relativistic physics classifications of spin interactions and topological quasiparticles. Our measurements of a spontaneous Hall effect in epilayers of antiferromagnetic Mn5Si3 with vanishing magnetization are consistent with our theory predictions. Bloch electrons with the unconventional staggered spin interaction, compatible with abundant low atomic-number materials, strong spin-coherence, and collinear antiferromagnetic order open unparalleled possibilities for realizing T-symmetry broken spin and topological quantum phases.
We study a topological phase transition between a normal insulator and a quantum spin Hall insulator in two-dimensional (2D) systems with time-reversal and two-fold rotation symmetries. Contrary to the case of ordinary time-reversal invariant systems where a direct transition between two insulators is generally predicted, we find that the topological phase transition in systems with an additional two-fold rotation symmetry is mediated by an emergent stable two-dimensional Weyl semimetal phase between two insulators. Here the central role is played by the so-called space-time inversion symmetry, the combination of time-reversal and two-fold rotation symmetries, which guarantees the quantization of the Berry phase around a 2D Weyl point even in the presence of strong spin-orbit coupling. Pair-creation/pair-annihilation of Weyl points accompanying partner exchange between different pairs induces a jump of a 2D $Z_{2}$ topological invariant leading to a topological phase transition. According to our theory, the topological phase transition in HgTe/CdTe quantum well structure is mediated by a stable 2D Weyl semimetal phase since the quantum well, lacking inversion symmetry intrinsically, has two-fold rotation about the growth direction. Namely, the HgTe/CdTe quantum well can show 2D Weyl semimetallic behavior within a small but finite interval in the thickness of HgTe layers between a normal insulator and a quantum spin Hall insulator. We also propose that few-layer black phosphorus under perpendicular electric field is another candidate system to observe the unconventional topological phase transition mechanism accompanied by emerging 2D Weyl semimetal phase protected by space-time inversion symmetry.