The issue of gauge choice in the Landau problem and the physics of canonical and mechanical orbital angular momenta

DOI10.1016/J.AOP.2018.03.019MaRDI QIDQ1635677zbMATH OpenOpenAlexWikidataFDO

Authors Masashi Wakamatsu, Yoshio Kitadono, Pengming Zhang

Publication date 1 June 2018

Published in Annals of Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1709.09766

zbMATH Keywords

Gauge choiceGauge-invariant formulationLandau problemnucleon spin decompositionorbital angular momentapath dependence

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Yang-Mills and other gauge theories in quantum field theory (81T13) Nuclear physics (81V35)

Abstract: One intriguing issue in the nucleon spin decomposition problem is the existence of two types of decompositions, which are representably characterized by two different orbital angular momenta (OAMs) of quarks. The one is the manifestly gauge-invariant mechanical OAM, while the other is the so-called gauge-invariant canonical (g.i.c.) OAM, the concept of which was introduced by Chen et al. To get a deep insight into the difference of these two decompositions, it is therefore vitally important to understand the the physical meanings of the above two OAMs correctly. Also to be clarified is the implication of the gauge symmetry that is immanent in the concept of g.i.c. OAM. We find that the famous Landau problem provides us with an ideal tool to answer these questions owing to its analytically solvable nature. After deriving a complete relation between the standard eigen-functions of the Landau Hamiltonian in the Landau gauge and in the symmetric gauge, we try to unravel the physics of the the canonical OAM and the mechanical OAM, by paying special attention to their gauge-dependence. We also argue that, different from the mechanical OAM of the electron, the canonical OAM or its gauge-invariant version would not correspond to any direct observables at least in the Landau problem. Also briefly discussed is the uniqueness or non-uniqueness problem of the nucleon spin decomposition, which arises from the arbitrariness in the definition of the so-called physical component of the gauge field.

Recommendations

• Is gauge-invariant complete decomposition of the nucleon spin possible?
• Revisiting the compatibility problem between the gauge principle and the observability of the canonical orbital angular momentum in the Landau problem
• NUCLEON SPIN IN QCD: OLD CRISIS AND NEW RESOLUTION
• Wilson lines and orbital angular momentum
• The photon angular momentum controversy: resolution of a conflict between laser optics and particle physics

Cites work

• Consequences of the Postulate of a Complete Commuting Set of Observables in Quantum Electrodynamics
• Gauge invariance of Landau levels
• GAUGE-INVARIANT FORMULATION OF QUANTUM ELECTRODYNAMICS
• Generators of dynamical symmetries and the correct gauge transformation in the Landau level problem: use of pseudomomentum and pseudo-angular momentum
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3285978 (Why is no real title available?)
• Is gauge-invariant complete decomposition of the nucleon spin possible?
• Quantum electrodynamics without potentials
• Quantum Theory without Electromagnetic Potentials
• The ``forgotten pseudomomenta and gauge changes in generalized Landau level problems: spatially nonuniform magnetic and temporally varying electric fields
• The quantum Hall effect

Cited in

(10)

• The role of electron orbital angular momentum in the Aharonov-Bohm effect revisited
• Revisiting the compatibility problem between the gauge principle and the observability of the canonical orbital angular momentum in the Landau problem
• Change of energy and magnetic moment of a quantum charged particle after a fast jump of the magnetic field in solenoids of arbitrary cross sections
• The physics of helical electron beam in a uniform magnetic field as a testing ground of gauge principle
• Wilson lines and orbital angular momentum
• Landau problem and electron vortex in pure gauge fields
• Is gauge-invariant complete decomposition of the nucleon spin possible?
• Physical angular momentum separation for QED
• Magnetization dynamics of a harmonically confined quantum charged particle in time dependent magnetic fields inside a circular solenoid
• External gauge field-coupled quantum dynamics: Gauge choices, Heisenberg algebra representations and gauge invariance in general, and the Landau problem in particular

This page was built for publication: The issue of gauge choice in the Landau problem and the physics of canonical and mechanical orbital angular momenta

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q1635677)