Non-Hermitian Chiral Magnetic Effect in Equilibrium

We analyze the chiral magnetic effect for non-Hermitian fermionic systems using the bi-orthogonal formulation of quantum mechanics. In contrast to the Hermitian counterparts, we show that the chiral magnetic effect takes place in equilibrium when a non-Hermitian system is considered. The key observa...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Maxim N. Chernodub, Alberto Cortijo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-05-01
Series:Symmetry
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-8994/12/5/761
Description
Summary:We analyze the chiral magnetic effect for non-Hermitian fermionic systems using the bi-orthogonal formulation of quantum mechanics. In contrast to the Hermitian counterparts, we show that the chiral magnetic effect takes place in equilibrium when a non-Hermitian system is considered. The key observation is that for non-Hermitian charged systems, there is no strict charge conservation as understood in Hermitian systems, so the Bloch theorem preventing currents in the thermodynamic limit and in equilibrium does not apply.
ISSN:2073-8994