Dirac particles in a rotating magnetic field

Abstract

We study a relativistic charged Dirac particle moving in a rotating magnetic field. By using a time-dependent unitary transformation, the Dirac equation with the time-dependent Hamiltonian can be reduced to a Dirac-like equation with a time-independent effective Hamiltonian. Eigenstates of the effective Hamiltonian correspond to cyclic solutions of the original Dirac equation. The nonadiabatic geometric phase of a cyclic solution can be expressed in terms of the expectation value of the component of the total angular momentum along the rotating axis, regardless of whether the solution is explictly available. For a slowly rotating magnetic field, the eigenvalue problem of the effective Hamiltonian is solved approximately and the geometric phases are calculated. The same problem for a charged or neutral Dirac particle with an anomalous magnetic moment is discussed briefly.