Landau electron in a rotating environment: a general factorization of time evolution

Abstract

For the Landau problem with a rotating magnetic field and a potential in the (changing) direction of the field, we derive a general factorization of the time evolution operator that includes the adiabatic factorization as a special case. We assume that the direction of the magnetic field changes with time in a general way, so the Heisenberg equations of motion cannot be solved by quadrature. Also, the potential is assumed to be of a general form. We use the rotation operator associated with the solid angle Berry phase to transform the problem to a rotating reference frame that follows the direction of the magnetic field. In the rotating reference frame, we derive a natural factorization of the time evolution operator by recognizing the crucial role played by a gauge transformation. The major complexity of the problem arises from the coupling between motion in the direction of the magnetic field and motion perpendicular to the field. In the factorization, this complexity is consolidated into a single operator that approaches the identity operator when the potential confines the particle sufficiently close to a plane perpendicular to the magnetic field. The structure of this operator is clarified by deriving an expression for its generating Hamiltonian. The magnetic translation is the most notable physical consequence in the adiabatic limit. This and the non-adiabatic effects are studied as consequences of the general factorization.