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Lecture 3 Jackiw Rebbi

1) The Jackiw-Rebbi solution describes a zero-energy bound state that exists at the interface between two one-dimensional media with opposite masses. 2) By solving the Dirac equation in each region and applying boundary conditions, they found a localized solution peaked at the interface with energy E=0. 3) This zero-energy interface state is characterized by a spinor wavefunction that is the same on both sides of the interface.

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pankaj sharma
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107 views4 pages

Lecture 3 Jackiw Rebbi

1) The Jackiw-Rebbi solution describes a zero-energy bound state that exists at the interface between two one-dimensional media with opposite masses. 2) By solving the Dirac equation in each region and applying boundary conditions, they found a localized solution peaked at the interface with energy E=0. 3) This zero-energy interface state is characterized by a spinor wavefunction that is the same on both sides of the interface.

Uploaded by

pankaj sharma
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PHYS 90507 Topology and Dirac fermions in condensed matter Assaf

Lecture 3: The Jackiw-Rebbi solution


Interface between two media with opposite mass in 1D:
Let us assume two media located respectively at x<0 and x>0 such that:
𝑚(𝑥 > 0) = +𝑚2 and 𝑚(𝑥 < 0) = −𝑚1
(𝑚2 > 0 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚1 > 0)
Let us try to solve the boundary problem at x=0 in 1D. The Dirac Hamiltonian and equation read:
1 0 0 1
𝐻1𝐷 = 𝑚(𝑥)𝑣 2 ( ) + ℏ𝑣𝑘𝑥 ( )
0 −1 1 0
1 0 0 1
𝑚(𝑥)𝑣 2 ( ) 𝜓(𝑥) + ℏ𝑣𝑘𝑥 ( ) 𝜓(𝑥) = 𝐸𝜓(𝑥)
0 −1 1 0
We will look for solution of the form 𝜓(𝑥)~𝑒 𝑖𝑘𝑥 . We first impose Dirichlet boundary conditions, so that
the wavefunction vanishes at infinity (if λ is real). We thus get:
𝜑−
𝜓(𝑥 < 0) = ( 1− ) 𝑒 𝑖𝜅−𝑥
𝜑2
𝜑+
𝜓(𝑥 > 0) = ( 1+ ) 𝑒 𝑖𝜅+𝑥
𝜑2
Next, we apply solve the eigen value problem in both cases:
x>0

+𝑚2 𝑣 2 −𝑖ℏ𝑣𝜕𝑥 𝜑1+ 𝑖𝜅+𝑥 𝜑1+ 𝑖𝜅+𝑥


( ) ( ) 𝑒 = 𝐸 ( )𝑒
−𝑖ℏ𝑣𝜕𝑥 −𝑚2 𝑣 2 𝜑2+ 𝜑2+

The derivative operator results from 𝑘𝑥 = −𝑖𝜕𝑥 and acts on the exponential to yield:
+𝑚2 𝑣 2 ℏ𝑣𝜅+ 𝜑1+ 𝜑1+
( ) ( ) = 𝐸 ( )
ℏ𝑣𝜅+ −𝑚2 𝑣 2 𝜑2+ 𝜑2+

Therefore, the following determine has to be equal to zero:


+𝑚2 𝑣 2 − 𝐸 ℏ𝑣𝜅+
| |=0
ℏ𝑣𝜅+ −𝑚2 𝑣 2 − 𝐸

𝐸 2 − (𝑚2 𝑣 2 )2 − (ℏ𝑣𝜅+ )2 = 0
We thus get:

√𝐸2 − 𝑚22 𝑣4
𝜅+ =
ℏ𝑣
𝜅+ is real if and only if 𝐸 > 𝑚22 𝑣 4 !

Next, we can extract the eigenvector solutions:


+𝑚2 𝑣 2 − 𝐸 ℏ𝑣𝜅+ 𝜑+
( 2 ) ( 1+ ) = 0
ℏ𝑣𝜅+ −𝑚2 𝑣 − 𝐸 𝜑2
From,

1
PHYS 90507 Topology and Dirac fermions in condensed matter Assaf

+𝑚2 𝑣 2 𝜑1+ + ℏ𝑣𝜅+ 𝜑2+ = 𝐸𝜑1+


We get the eigenvector,
ℏ𝑣𝜅+
+ (𝑥)
𝜓 = (𝐸 − 𝑚2 𝑣 2 ) 𝑒 𝑖𝜅+𝑥
1

x<0

−𝑚1 𝑣 2 −𝑖ℏ𝑣𝜕𝑥 𝜑1− 𝑖𝜅−𝑥 𝜑1− 𝑖𝜅− 𝑥


( ) ( − ) 𝑒 = 𝐸 (𝜑2− ) 𝑒
−𝑖ℏ𝑣𝜕𝑥 +𝑚1 𝑣 2 𝜑2
−𝑚1 𝑣 2 − 𝐸 ℏ𝑣𝜅− 𝜑1− 𝑖𝜅−𝑥
( ) ( −) 𝑒 =0
ℏ𝑣𝜅− +𝑚1 𝑣 2 − 𝐸 𝜑2

As above, the eigenvalue problem gives,


𝐸 2 − (𝑚1 𝑣 2 )2 − (ℏ𝑣𝜅− )2 = 0

√𝐸2 − 𝑚21 𝑣4
𝜅− =
ℏ𝑣
And the eigenvectors,
(−𝑚1 𝑣 2 − 𝐸)𝜑1− + ℏ𝑣𝜅− 𝜑2− = 0
ℏ𝑣𝜅−
(𝐸 + 𝑚1 𝑣 2 )
1
ℏ𝑣𝜅−
− (𝑥)
𝜓 = (𝐸 + 𝑚1 𝑣 2 ) 𝑒 𝑖𝜅−𝑥
1

Boundary value at x=0


At x=0, the two wave functions have to be equal:
𝜑1+ 𝜑1−
( ) = ( )
𝜑2+ 𝜑2−

Or,
ℏ𝑣𝜅− ℏ𝑣𝜅+
2
=
𝐸 + 𝑚1 𝑣 𝐸 − 𝑚2 𝑣 2

Replacing with the values found for κ+ and κ – and squaring both sides:
𝐸 2 − 𝑚12 𝑣 4 𝐸 2 − 𝑚22 𝑣 4
=
(𝐸 + 𝑚1 𝑣2 )2 (𝐸 − 𝑚2 𝑣2 )2

2
PHYS 90507 Topology and Dirac fermions in condensed matter Assaf

(𝐸 − 𝑚1 𝑣2 )(𝐸 + 𝑚1 𝑣2 ) (𝐸 − 𝑚2 𝑣2 )(𝐸 + 𝑚2 𝑣2 )
=
(𝐸 + 𝑚1 𝑣2 )2 (𝐸 − 𝑚2 𝑣2 )2
(𝐸 − 𝑚1 𝑣2 ) (𝐸 + 𝑚2 𝑣2 )
=
(𝐸 + 𝑚1 𝑣2 ) (𝐸 − 𝑚2 𝑣2 )
This yields,
(𝐸 − 𝑚1 𝑣 2 )(𝐸 − 𝑚2 𝑣 2 ) = (𝐸 + 𝑚2 𝑣 2 )(𝐸 + 𝑚1 𝑣 2 )

Which can be expanded to:


𝐸 2 − 𝐸𝑣 2 (𝑚1 + 𝑚2 ) + 𝑚1 𝑚2 𝑣 4 = 𝐸 2 + 𝐸𝑣 2 (𝑚1 + 𝑚2 ) + 𝑚1 𝑚2 𝑣 4
The equation can now be simplified into:

−𝐸𝑣 2 (𝑚1 + 𝑚2 ) = +𝐸𝑣 2 (𝑚1 + 𝑚2 )


Or,
2𝐸𝑣 2 (𝑚1 + 𝑚2 ) = 0
Thus, one of two solutions are possible:
𝐸 = 0 or 𝑚1 = −𝑚2

Recall that both m1 and m2 are positive. Therefore, 𝐸 = 0.


Zero energy solution at the interface
We have therefore found a zero-energy solution when the mass changes sign at an interface, i.e.
when for x<0 𝑚 = −𝑚1 and for x>0 𝑚 = +𝑚2 . The zero energy solution disappears if mass is continuous
on both sides (i.e. if 𝑚1 = −𝑚2) so that for x<0 𝑚 = +𝑚2 and for x>0 𝑚 = +𝑚2 .

Looking back at the wavefunctions allows to extract the spatial distribution of this zero energy
state by plugging E into κ+ and κ–.
𝑚2 𝑣 𝑚1 𝑣
𝜅+ = ±𝑖 𝑎𝑛𝑑 κ− = ±𝑖
ℏ ℏ
We want the wavefunction to decay to zero at infinity, and not to diverge. Therefore, we have to
𝑚 𝑣 𝑚 𝑣
reject 𝜅+ = −𝑖 ℏ2 as a possible solution. For the same reason we reject κ− = +𝑖 ℏ1 . We then get:
𝑚2 𝑣 𝑚1 𝑣
𝜅+ = 𝑖 = 𝑖𝜆+ 𝑎𝑛𝑑 κ− = −𝑖 = −𝑖𝜆−
ℏ ℏ
So that,
−𝑖 −𝑖
𝜓 + (𝑥) = ( ) 𝑒 −𝜆+𝑥 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝜓 − (𝑥) = ( ) 𝑒 𝜆−𝑥
1 1
The state is thus peaked at the interface as shown in Figure 2.

3
PHYS 90507 Topology and Dirac fermions in condensed matter Assaf

1.0

y (not normalized)
0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
-4 -2 0 2 4

x (a.u.)

FIG 2. Interface state from the Jackiw-Rebbi solution in 1D.


The eigenstates now reduce to:
For both x>0 and x<0, the spinor component of the wavefunction is
1 −𝑖
( )
√2 1
The fully normalized wavefunction (from – ∞ to +∞) is then:

2𝑣𝑚1 𝑚2 1 −𝑖 𝑚(𝑥)𝑣𝑥
𝜓1𝐷 (𝑥) = √ ( )𝑒 ℏ
ℏ(𝑚1 + 𝑚2 ) √2 1

Zero energy bound state:


The state that lies between two 1D media of opposite mass is a 0D zero-energy bound state. This is almost
a theorem?, meaning that, the interface between any to n-dimensional media that have an opposite mass in
an (n-1)-dimensional bound state.
‘Spin’ in 0D:
I don’t know if we’re allowed to talk about spin in this situation but it is interesting to examine the
expectation value of σx for the bound state, by simply looking at the spinor:
1 0 −𝑖 −𝑖 1 −𝑖 1+1
〈𝜎𝑦 〉 = (𝑖 1) ( ) ( ) = (𝑖 1) ( ) = =1
2 𝑖 0 1 2 1 2
−𝑖
Also notice that ( ) is one Weyl pair (refer to previous lecture). The power of this solution is that it is
1
able to yield a single Weyl cone, without its oppositely handed pair, meaning that all the properties
linking spin and momentum in the Weyl case are preserved!
References and recommended readings
- Shun-Qing Shen: Chap 2. of Topological insulators: Dirac equation in condensed matter. 2nd
edition. (Springer series in solid-state science 187, Berlin, 2017). Chapter 2. (2017)
- R. Jackiw and C. Rebbi, Phys. Rev. D 13 3398 (1976)

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