Publication Date
11-1990
Description
The full effect of adiabatically varying Hamiltonians on systems prepared in eigenstates of the stationary Hamiltonian often includes geometric Berry's phases. For degenerate systems these effects may result in transitions between distinct degenerate eigenstates that can be described in terms of a non-Abelian gauge potential. I demonstrate the explicit dynamic origin of such transitions between degenerate angular-momentum sublevels in an atom that is subject to collinear electric and magnetic fields that rotate adiabatically. The origin of the effects becomes clear when eigenstates of the total Hamiltonian, which includes the rotating fields, are calculated. The total Hamiltonian removes the degeneracy, and the eigenstates are in some cases linear combinations of the angular-momentum sublevels. Thus a system prepared in a specific sublevel may not remain in that sublevel, and the transition probability is exactly that given by an analysis of the geometric phase.
Journal
Physical Review A
Volume
42
Issue
9
First Page
5069
Last Page
5072
Department
Physics & Astronomy
Link to Published Version
https://journals.aps.org/pra/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevA.42.5069
DOI
10.1103/PhysRevA.42.5069
Recommended Citation
Ligare, Martin K.. "Dynamic origin of non-Abelian Berry's phase effects in a simple atomic system." (1990) : 5069-5072.