Berry phase for spin--1/2 particles moving in a spacetime with torsion

Abstract

Berry phase for a spin--1/2 particle moving in a flat spacetime with torsion is investigated in the context of the Einstein-Cartan-Dirac model. It is shown that if the torsion is due to a dense polarized background, then there is a Berry phase only if the fermion is massless and its momentum is perpendicular to the direction of the background polarization. The order of magnitude of this Berry phase is discussed in other theoretical frameworks.