Note on Dirac monopole theory and Berry geometric phase
Li-Chen Zhao
Abstract This work revisit on the intrinsic connection between Dirac monopole theory and Berry geometric phases by extending Dirac's theory to the parameter space. Using the simplest two-mode Hamiltonian model, we explicitly visualize Dirac strings with endpoints in the parameter space, demonstrating that these endpoints correspond to accidental degeneracy points of energy eigenvalues in Hermitian systems. We show that non-integrable phase factors, induced by such Dirac strings, directly give rise to the well-known Berry connection and curvature, which can be re-derived by following the spirit of Dirac's monopole theory with the aid of the quantum adiabatic theorem. Our results indicate that the Berry geometric phase is essentially the non-integrable phase factor induced by Dirac strings with endpoints in the parameter space. These results further deepen our understanding on monopole and geometric phases, and would inspire more studies on them especially when Berry's framework is not applicable.
arXiv:2409.02144•Chinese Physics B•Nov 14, 2025•1 citation