Kramers' degeneracy for open systems in thermal equilibrium

Article

关键词: DETAILED BALANCE;    GENERAL-THEORY;    TIME-REVERSAL;    QUANTUM;   

DOI  :  10.1103/PhysRevB.105.L121104

来源: SCIE

【 摘 要 】

Kramers' degeneracy theorem underpins many interesting effects in quantum systems with time-reversal symmetry. We show that the generator of dynamics for Markovian open fermionic systems can exhibit an analogous degeneracy, protected by a combination of time-reversal symmetry and the microreversibility (detailed balance) property of systems at thermal equilibrium-the degeneracy is lifted if either condition is not met. We provide simple examples of this phenomenon and show that the degeneracy is reflected in the single-particle Green's functions. Furthermore, we show that certain experimental signatures of topological edge modes in open many-body systems can be protected by microreversibility in the same way. Our results highlight the importance of detailed balance in characterizing open topological matter.

【 授权许可】

Free