Breaking of Lorentz invariance caused by the interplay between spin-orbit interaction and transverse phonon modes in quantum wires
We investigate Lorentz invariance breaking in quantum wires due to Rashba spin-orbit interaction and transverse phonons. Using bosonization, we derive an effective action coupling electronic and mechanical degrees of freedom. Strikingly, at a quantum phase transition between straight and bent wire states, we find a gapped phonon mode and a gapless mode with quadratic dispersion, signaling the breaking of Lorentz invariance. We explore stability conditions for general potentials and propose nanomechanical back action as a sensitive tool for detecting this transition, with implications for sliding Luttinger liquids and dimensional crossover studies.
Authors
- Luis E. F. Foa Torres (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6319-9593)
- Dmitri V. Efremov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1991-2056)
- Weyner Ccuiro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7572-858X)
- M. N. Kiselev (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2542-3686)
Institutions
- The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) (IT)
- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (IT)
- Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research (DE)
- University of Chile (CL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Physical Review Research
- Published
- 2025-04-14
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevresearch.7.l022016
- Primary Topic
- Quantum and electron transport phenomena
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Simons Foundation
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
- Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo
- Horizon 2020
- Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico