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Physical Review A

Berry’s phase and loops in parameter space

Franco Salmistraro

Published Dec 1, 1988• 3 citations
Publisher

Abstract

For a quantum system we consider the evolution induced through a Hamiltonian H(R) by an arbitrary closed curve in the space of parameters R. By a proper choice of the basis in the Hilbert space of states, it is shown that one can associate a geometrical phase to each eigenvector of the Hamiltonian. The special cases of adiabatic and cyclic evolution of the state vector are discussed.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.38.6416

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In 1984 Berry addressed a quantum system undergoing a unitary and cyclic evolution under the action of a time-dependent Hamiltonian (M. V. Berry, 1984). The process was supposed to be adiabatic, meaning that the time scale of the system’s evolution was much shorter than the time scale of the changing Hamiltonian. Until Berry’s study, it was assumed that for a cyclic Hamiltonian the quantum state would acquire only so-called dynamical phases, deprived of physical meaning. Such phases could be eliminated by redefining the quantum state through a “gauge” transformation of the form |ψ〉 → eiα |ψ〉. However, Berry discovered that besides the dynamical, there was an additional phase that could not be “gauged away” and whose origin was geometric or topological. It depended on the path that |ψ〉 describes in the parameter space spanned by those parameters to which the Hamiltonian owed its time dependence. Berry’s discovery was the starting point for a great amount of investigations that brought to light topological aspects of both quantum and classical systems. Berry’s phase was soon recognized as a special case of more general phases that showed up when dealing with topological aspects of different systems. For example, the Aharonov-Bohm phase could be understood as a geometric phase. The rotation angle acquired by a parallel-transported vector after completing a closed loop in a gravitationally curved space-time region, is also a geometric, Berry-like phase. Another example is the precession of the plane of oscillation of a Foucault pendulum. Berry’s original formulation was directly applicable to the case of a spin-1/2 system evolving under the action of a slowly varying magnetic field that undergoes cyclic changes. A spin-1/2 system is a special case of a two-level system. Another instances are two-level atoms and polarized light, so that also in these cases we should expect to find geometric phases. In fact, the first experimental test of Berry’s phase was done using polarized, classical light (A. Tomita, 1986). Pancharatnam (S. Pancharatnam, 1956) anticipated Berry’s phase when he proposed, back in 1956, how to decide whether two polarization states are “in phase”. Pancharatnam’s prescription is an operational one, based upon observing whether the intensity of the interferogram formed by two polarized beams has maximal intensity. In that case, the two polarized beams are said to be “in phase”. Such a definition is analogous to the definition of distant parallelism in differential geometry. Polarized states can be subjected to different transformations which could be cyclic or not, adiabatic or not, unitary or not. The Pancharatnam-Berry Phase: Theoretical and Experimental Aspects

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Berry (1984) discovered that an eigenstate undergoing an adiabatic evolution in the parameter space will acquire a topological phase. Aharonov and Anandan (1987), on the other hand, showed that an eigenstate transporting round a closed circuit in the projective Hilbert space suffices to generate the topological phase. The authors employ the evolution operator method to study the propagation of an eigenstate. They show that Berry's phase can be represented as a closed path integral in the Hilbert space and is independent of the choice for the base ( mod n(t))). The treatments of Berry, and Aharonov and Anandan, are shown to correspond to two different choices of the base. Therefore their two approaches are unified; they have acquired a more general viewpoint on the origin of Berry's phase.

Journal of Physics A Mathematical and General•Sep 7, 1989•20 citations
For a quantum system we consider the evolution induced through a Hamiltonian H(R) by an arbitrary closed curve in the space of parameters R. By a proper choice of the basis in the Hilbert space of states, it is shown that one can associate a geometrical phase to each eigenvector of the Hamiltonian. The special cases of adiabatic and cyclic evolution of the state vector are discussed.
A group-theoretic treatment is given of the new phase found by Berry in the adiabatic evolution of a quantum-mechanical system in a finite-dimensional Hilbert space. It is shown how the Berry phases for the various eigenstates of the Hamiltonian are obtained from a set of angles associated with a group element. For the special case of a two-level system there is just one such angle which corresponds to the holonomy transformation associated with parallel transport around a closed curve on a sphere.
In 1984 Berry addressed a quantum system undergoing a unitary and cyclic evolution under the action of a time-dependent Hamiltonian (M. V. Berry, 1984). The process was supposed to be adiabatic, meaning that the time scale of the system’s evolution was much shorter than the time scale of the changing Hamiltonian. Until Berry’s study, it was assumed that for a cyclic Hamiltonian the quantum state would acquire only so-called dynamical phases, deprived of physical meaning. Such phases could be eliminated by redefining the quantum state through a “gauge” transformation of the form |ψ〉 → eiα |ψ〉. However, Berry discovered that besides the dynamical, there was an additional phase that could not be “gauged away” and whose origin was geometric or topological. It depended on the path that |ψ〉 describes in the parameter space spanned by those parameters to which the Hamiltonian owed its time dependence. Berry’s discovery was the starting point for a great amount of investigations that brought to light topological aspects of both quantum and classical systems. Berry’s phase was soon recognized as a special case of more general phases that showed up when dealing with topological aspects of different systems. For example, the Aharonov-Bohm phase could be understood as a geometric phase. The rotation angle acquired by a parallel-transported vector after completing a closed loop in a gravitationally curved space-time region, is also a geometric, Berry-like phase. Another example is the precession of the plane of oscillation of a Foucault pendulum. Berry’s original formulation was directly applicable to the case of a spin-1/2 system evolving under the action of a slowly varying magnetic field that undergoes cyclic changes. A spin-1/2 system is a special case of a two-level system. Another instances are two-level atoms and polarized light, so that also in these cases we should expect to find geometric phases. In fact, the first experimental test of Berry’s phase was done using polarized, classical light (A. Tomita, 1986). Pancharatnam (S. Pancharatnam, 1956) anticipated Berry’s phase when he proposed, back in 1956, how to decide whether two polarization states are “in phase”. Pancharatnam’s prescription is an operational one, based upon observing whether the intensity of the interferogram formed by two polarized beams has maximal intensity. In that case, the two polarized beams are said to be “in phase”. Such a definition is analogous to the definition of distant parallelism in differential geometry. Polarized states can be subjected to different transformations which could be cyclic or not, adiabatic or not, unitary or not. The Pancharatnam-Berry Phase: Theoretical and Experimental Aspects
In a quantum system initially in the nnn-th eigenstate, an adiabatic evolution of the Hamiltonian ensures that the system remains in the corresponding instantaneous eigenstate while acquiring a phase factor. This phase has two components: one resulting from standard time evolution and another associated with the dependence of the eigenstate on the varying Hamiltonian, known as the Berry phase. In this work, we explore the concept of geometric amplitudes in the context of a Hermitian Hamiltonian. We introduce the notion of geometric amplitude and provide a novel derivation of this concept. Our study reveals that a system undergoing cyclic evolution under adiabatic conditions acquires an additional amplitude factor of purely geometric origin. To illustrate this idea, we apply it to a concrete case: a generalized inverted harmonic oscillator. Although a pseudo-inner product can be introduced to make resonance states formally normalizable, this procedure relies on a non-unitary metric operator and defines a modified Hilbert space; it does not restore normalizability nor self-adjointness in the standard L2(R)L^2(R)L2(R) framework.
Berry (1984) discovered that an eigenstate undergoing an adiabatic evolution in the parameter space will acquire a topological phase. Aharonov and Anandan (1987), on the other hand, showed that an eigenstate transporting round a closed circuit in the projective Hilbert space suffices to generate the topological phase. The authors employ the evolution operator method to study the propagation of an eigenstate. They show that Berry's phase can be represented as a closed path integral in the Hilbert space and is independent of the choice for the base ( mod n(t))). The treatments of Berry, and Aharonov and Anandan, are shown to correspond to two different choices of the base. Therefore their two approaches are unified; they have acquired a more general viewpoint on the origin of Berry's phase.