Kramers' theorem

(Redirected from Kramers degeneracy)

In quantum mechanics, the Kramers' degeneracy theorem states that for every energy eigenstate of a time-reversal symmetric system with half-integer total spin, there is another eigenstate with the same energy related by time-reversal. In other words, the degeneracy of every energy level is an even number if it has half-integer spin. The theorem is named after Dutch physicist H. A. Kramers.

In theoretical physics, the time reversal symmetry is the symmetry of physical laws under a time reversal transformation:

If the Hamiltonian operator commutes with the time-reversal operator, that is

then, for every energy eigenstate , the time reversed state is also an eigenstate with the same energy. These two states are sometimes called a Kramers pair.[1] In general, this time-reversed state may be identical to the original one, but that is not possible in a half-integer spin system: since time reversal reverses all angular momenta, reversing a half-integer spin cannot yield the same state (the magnetic quantum number is never zero).

Mathematical statement and proof

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In quantum mechanics, the time reversal operation is represented by an antiunitary operator   acting on a Hilbert space  . If it happens that  , then we have the following simple theorem:

If   is an antiunitary operator acting on a Hilbert space   satisfying   and   a vector in  , then   is orthogonal to  .

Proof

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By the definition of an antiunitary operator,  , where   and   are vectors in  . Replacing   and   and using that  , we get  which implies that  .

Consequently, if a Hamiltonian   is time-reversal symmetric, i.e. it commutes with  , then all its energy eigenspaces have even degeneracy, since applying   to an arbitrary energy eigenstate   gives another energy eigenstate   that is orthogonal to the first one. The orthogonality property is crucial, as it means that the two eigenstates   and   represent different physical states. If, on the contrary, they were the same physical state, then   for an angle  , which would imply

 

To complete Kramers degeneracy theorem, we just need to prove that the time-reversal operator   acting on a half-odd-integer spin Hilbert space satisfies  . This follows from the fact that the spin operator   represents a type of angular momentum, and, as such, should reverse direction under  :

 

Concretely, an operator   that has this property is usually written as

 

where   is the spin operator in the   direction and   is the complex conjugation map in the   spin basis.[2]

Since   has real matrix components in the   basis, then

 

Hence, for half-odd-integer spins  , we have  . This is the same minus sign that appears when one does a full   rotation on systems with half-odd-integer spins, such as fermions.

Consequences

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The energy levels of a system with an odd total number of fermions (such as electrons, protons and neutrons) remain at least doubly degenerate in the presence of purely electric fields (i.e. no external magnetic fields). It was first discovered in 1930 by H. A. Kramers[3] as a consequence of the Breit equation. As shown by Eugene Wigner in 1932,[4] it is a consequence of the time reversal invariance of electric fields, and follows from an application of the antiunitary T-operator to the wavefunction of an odd number of fermions. The theorem is valid for any configuration of static or time-varying electric fields.

For example, the hydrogen (H) atom contains one proton and one electron, so that the Kramers theorem does not apply. Indeed, the lowest (hyperfine) energy level of H is nondegenerate, although a generic system might have degeneracy for other reasons. The deuterium (D) isotope on the other hand contains an extra neutron, so that the total number of fermions is three, and the theorem does apply. The ground state of D contains two hyperfine components, which are twofold and fourfold degenerate.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Zhang, Fan; Kane, C. L.; Mele, E. J. (2013-08-02). "Time-Reversal-Invariant Topological Superconductivity and Majorana Kramers Pairs". Physical Review Letters. 111 (5): 056402. arXiv:1212.4232. Bibcode:2013PhRvL.111e6402Z. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.056402. PMID 23952423. S2CID 31559089.
  2. ^ Tasaki, Hal (2020). "2.3: Time-Reversal and Kramers Degeneracy". Physics and mathematics of quantum many-body systems. Cham: Springer. ISBN 978-3-030-41265-4. OCLC 1154567924.
  3. ^ Kramers, H. A. (1930). "Théorie générale de la rotation paramagnétique dans les cristaux" (PDF). Proceedings of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (in French). 33 (6–10): 959–972.
  4. ^ E. Wigner, Über die Operation der Zeitumkehr in der Quantenmechanik, Nachr. Akad. Ges. Wiss. Göttingen 31, 546–559 (1932) http://www.digizeitschriften.de/dms/img/?PPN=GDZPPN002509032