Axions, Quantum Mechanical Pumping, and Primeval Magnetic Fields
Abstract
We discuss the ordinary quantum Hall effect and a higher-dimensional cousin. We consider the dimensional reduction of these effects to 1+1 and 3+1 space-time dimensions, respectively. After dimensional reduction, an axion field appears, which plays the role of a space-time dependent difference of chemical potentials of chiral modes. As applications, we sketch a theory of quantum pumps and a mechanism for the generation of primeval magnetic fields in the early universe.
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