Dirac bilinears in condensed matter physics: Relativistic correction for observables and conjugate electromagnetic fields

TL;DR

This paper revisits Dirac bilinears in condensed matter physics, clarifying their electromagnetic conjugates and enabling ab initio quantification of material properties like chirality, thus bridging multiple physics disciplines.

Contribution

It provides a new framework linking Dirac bilinears to observable quantities in condensed matter, facilitating electromagnetic control and property quantification of low-symmetry materials.

Findings

Clarifies the electromagnetic conjugate fields associated with Dirac bilinears.

Provides a method for ab initio quantification of chirality and axiality.

Bridges condensed matter physics with quantum chemistry and particle physics.

Abstract

Inspired by recent developments in electron chirality, we reconsider some microscopic physical quantities that have been overlooked or have received little attention in condensed matter physics, based on the non-relativistic limit of the Dirac bilinears in relativistic quantum theory. We identify the expression of physical quantities defined by the four-component Dirac field in terms of the two-component Schr\"odinger field, which is usually used in condensed matter physics, and clarify its conjugate electromagnetic field. This consideration bridges the fields of condensed matter physics, quantum chemistry, and particle physics, and paves the way to electromagnetic control of matter. Our findings provide a means of {\it ab initio} quantification of material characters such as chirality and axiality that are unique to low-symmetry materials, and stimulate the systematic search for useful, new functionalities.