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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.03125 |
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| _version_ | 1866912871746633728 |
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| author | Miki, Tatsuya Kakinuma, Yuta Senami, Masato Fukuda, Masahiro Suzuki, Michi-To Ikeda, Hiroaki Hoshino, Shintaro |
| author_facet | Miki, Tatsuya Kakinuma, Yuta Senami, Masato Fukuda, Masahiro Suzuki, Michi-To Ikeda, Hiroaki Hoshino, Shintaro |
| contents | Electron chirality has been proposed as a microscopic quantity that characterizes electronic handedness, yet its underlying control parameter has not been clearly identified. Furthermore, its applicability is limited to systems with spin-orbit coupling, which motivates the need for alternative measures of chirality. In this work, we explore two complementary measures of chirality: electron chirality and hydrodynamic helicity. By analyzing a minimal atomic model under chiral crystal fields, we clarify how the interplay among crystal fields, spin-orbit coupling, and electron correlation gives rise to non-zero values of chirality measures. Although electron chirality increases with both spin-orbit coupling and chiral crystal field strength, the dependence on these two factors is highly non-trivial. Particularly, when the chiral crystal field is varied continuously and the energy levels approach quasidegenerate points, the electron chirality is insensitive to spin-orbit coupling, resulting in a remarkable enhancement of chirality. In contrast, the hydrodynamic helicity, defined as a two-body pseudoscalar quantity, remains non-zero even without spin-orbit coupling, originating from electron-electron interactions. Perturbative analysis reveals distinct symmetry selection rules governing the two quantities. Our results provide fundamental insight into the origin of chiralities in electronic systems. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_03125 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Electron chirality and hydrodynamic helicity: Analysis in the atomic limit Miki, Tatsuya Kakinuma, Yuta Senami, Masato Fukuda, Masahiro Suzuki, Michi-To Ikeda, Hiroaki Hoshino, Shintaro Materials Science Electron chirality has been proposed as a microscopic quantity that characterizes electronic handedness, yet its underlying control parameter has not been clearly identified. Furthermore, its applicability is limited to systems with spin-orbit coupling, which motivates the need for alternative measures of chirality. In this work, we explore two complementary measures of chirality: electron chirality and hydrodynamic helicity. By analyzing a minimal atomic model under chiral crystal fields, we clarify how the interplay among crystal fields, spin-orbit coupling, and electron correlation gives rise to non-zero values of chirality measures. Although electron chirality increases with both spin-orbit coupling and chiral crystal field strength, the dependence on these two factors is highly non-trivial. Particularly, when the chiral crystal field is varied continuously and the energy levels approach quasidegenerate points, the electron chirality is insensitive to spin-orbit coupling, resulting in a remarkable enhancement of chirality. In contrast, the hydrodynamic helicity, defined as a two-body pseudoscalar quantity, remains non-zero even without spin-orbit coupling, originating from electron-electron interactions. Perturbative analysis reveals distinct symmetry selection rules governing the two quantities. Our results provide fundamental insight into the origin of chiralities in electronic systems. |
| title | Electron chirality and hydrodynamic helicity: Analysis in the atomic limit |
| topic | Materials Science |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.03125 |