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arXiv:2606.15806

Spin-induced and orbital quantum backflow in Pauli theory

Tomasz Radożycki

cond-mat.mes-hallquant-phSubmitted Jun 14, 2026• Announced Jun 16, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

We show that quantum backflow in spin-$\tfrac{1}{2}$ systems within the Pauli framework can arise from spin-dependent contributions to the probability current. We construct explicit two-mode states in which the orbital current reduces to a uniform drift, so that no interference between longitudinal momentum components is present in this sector. In such configurations, backflow is generated entirely by spinor structure, which induces time-dependent modulations of the local current leading to flux reversal, while the longitudinal momentum distribution remains strictly supported on positive momenta. We derive analytical conditions for backflow in terms of spinor and momentum parameters, allowing direct control of the effect via internal degrees of freedom. We further analyze spatial coarse-graining, showing exponential suppression of interference and a qualitatively different scaling of orbital and spin contributions, with spin-induced backflow remaining robust in regimes where orbital effects are strongly suppressed.

Comments
11 pages, 4 figures, ReVTeX

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We show that quantum backflow in spin-12\tfrac{1}{2}21​ systems within the Pauli framework can arise from spin-dependent contributions to the probability current. We construct explicit two-mode states in which the orbital current reduces to a uniform drift, so that no interference between longitudinal momentum components is present in this sector. In such configurations, backflow is generated entirely by spinor structure, which induces time-dependent modulations of the local current leading to flux reversal, while the longitudinal momentum distribution remains strictly supported on positive momenta. We derive analytical conditions for backflow in terms of spinor and momentum parameters, allowing direct control of the effect via internal degrees of freedom. We further analyze spatial coarse-graining, showing exponential suppression of interference and a qualitatively different scaling of orbital and spin contributions, with spin-induced backflow remaining robust in regimes where orbital effects are strongly suppressed.
Probability backflow is investigated for charged spin-1/21/21/2 particles in a uniform magnetic field within the lowest-Landau-level approximation. While single-mode Landau states exhibit only weak and non-robust backflow, it is shown that two-mode interference gives rise to negative probability flux in both the Schrödinger and Pauli formulations. In the Pauli case, orbital and spin contributions to the probability current are explicitly separated, revealing an additional interference mechanism. The external magnetic field is found to act as a tunable control parameter, simultaneously controlling the spatial overlap of orbitals and the spin dynamics. In the two-mode regime, a resonance between orbital mismatch and spin precession leads to an enhancement of backflow. Finite spatial resolution is shown not to suppress the effect within realistic coarse-graining. These results establish magnetic-field-controlled quantum backflow in Landau systems as an accessible interference phenomenon.
We present an introduction to the backflow effect in quantum mechanics – the phenomenon in which a state consisting entirely of positive momenta may have negative current and the probability flows in the opposite direction to the momentum. We show that the effect is present even for simple states consisting of superpositions of gaussian wave packets, although the size of the effect is small. Inspired by the numerical results of Penz et al, we present a wave function whose current at any time may be computed analytically and which has periods of significant backflow, with a backwards flux equal to about 70 percent of the maximum possible backflow, a dimensionless number c bm ≈ 0.04, discovered by Bracken and Melloy. This number has the unusual property of being independent of ℏ (and also of all other parameters of the model), despite corresponding to a quantum-mechanical effect, and we shed some light on this surprising property by considering the classical limit of backflow. We conclude by discussing a specific measurement model in which backflow may be identified in certain measurable probabilities.
We investigate the backflow effect in elementary quantum mechanics---the phenomenon in which a state consisting entirely of positive momenta may have negative current and the probability flows in the opposite direction to the momentum. We compute the current and flux for states consisting of superpositions of Gaussian wave packets. These are experimentally realizable but the amount of backflow is small. Inspired by the numerical results of Penz et al. [Penz, Gr\"ubl, Kreidl, and Wagner, J. Phys. A 39, 423 (2006)], we find two nontrivial wave functions whose current at any time may be computed analytically and which have periods of significant backflow, in one case with a backward flux equal to about 70% of the maximum possible backflow, a dimensionless number ${c}_{bm}\ensuremath{\approx}0.04$, discovered by Bracken and Melloy [Bracken and Melloy, J. Phys. A 27, 2197 (1994)]. This number has the unusual property of being independent of $\ensuremath{\hbar}$ (and also of all other parameters of the model), despite corresponding to an obviously quantum-mechanical effect, and we shed some light on this surprising property by considering the classical limit of backflow. We discuss some specific measurement models in which backflow may be identified in certain measurable probabilities.
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We study the phenomenon of quantum backflow in tight-binding systems with complex couplings, considering different boundary conditions and lattice sizes. Backflow is an intrinsically non-classical effect where the density flux associated with a particle described by the superposition of wave functions with, say, positive momentum, acquires negative values. We calculate the superposition of positive momentum states that gives rise to the strongest backflow in the system. We also evaluate the bounds on the total amount of probability that flows in the opposite direction of the particle's momentum.