Landau levels and the deHaas-

vanAlphen (dHvA)and deHaas-

Shubnikov (SdH) Effects
Notes
Landau Levels
Free electrons in uniform mag., field B:
Canonical momentum:


Schroedinger Eq. (k.e. only):



Take B along z-axis , and choose gauge for A (Landau gauge):

for homogeneous field; specifically,

Plug into and obtain

, and define .
pot. vector is where , A A B

V =
=mv =p eA, where v is the velocity and p the"mechanical" momentum
Hy = Ey =
p eA
( )
2
2m
A
z B B =

,
2
1
B r A

=
) 0 , , 0 ( B A =

z y x
A
0
2
2 2
2
2
2
2
= +
c
c
+
|
|
.
|

\
|
(

c
c
+
c
c

mE
z
eBx
i
y x

eB
k
H
=
2
B
Now assume solutions of the form


Plug this in and after some chugging, get




Now rewrite as


This is the eq. of a 1D SHO of angular Frequency (the cyclotron frequency)
centered at the point .
The energy e-vals are (by inspection)

( )
) ( ) , , ( x u e z y x
x k y k i
z y
+
=
Note: y and z do not appear explicitly in
B
B
.
2
where ), ( ) (
2 ) (
2 2
2 2
2 2
2
m
k
E E x u x k k
E m
x
x u
z
H y

= '
(

'
+
c
c
C
(energy of motion in
plane perpend. to B
Note: In general, p and A do not commute, but for uniform B they do.
C
) ( ) (
2 2
2
2
2 2
x u E x u
m
k
x
m
eB m
x
u
m
y
' =
|
|
.
|

\
|
+
c
c

m
eB
c
= e
2 0
1
H
y
y
c
k
k
k
eB m
k
x = = =

e

m
k
k E
z
c z
2
) ( ) (
2 2
2
1

+ + = e
n is the Landau Quantum number, and these are
the Landau levels. Note: k
y
does not appear
large degeneracy for every allowed value of k
z
.
D
Landau Levels
Counting States (Boundary Conditions: periodic b.c. or box normalization)
k
x
and k
x
are quantized in units of 2t/L
x,y
, plane wave solutions; BUT condition is
different in x-dir.
L
y

L
x

x
0

x
y
X
0
must lie INSIDE box (assume large box so
effects of boundaries are small -- small number
of states AT the boundaries relative to # INSIDE)
Condition: 0 < x
0
< L
x
,
but x
0
= k
y
/k
2
H
, so this
becomes
0 < k
y
< k
2
H
L
x

E
eB
c
/ =
So k
y
is quantized in units of 2t/L
y
but must also satisfy . For fixed k
z
total RANGE of
allowed values of k
y
is k
2
H
L
x
. And therefore the total number of allowed states is
E
.
2
. /
y x
y
x
y
y
L L
h
eB
L
L
eB
state occ k
k of range
= =
A
t

So for a const. k
z
each Landau Level is q-fold degenerate, where
) / (
/
e h quantum flux
area flux total
h
eB
= = q
Landau Level
degeneracy per
unit area
Landau Levels
Area of 2D
box
Now we want the tot. # of states /vol. having energy less than E:

From , and solving for k
z
(n)


D ( )
c z
E k
m
e

2
1
2
2
2
+ =
( ) ( ) | |
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
c z
E
m
n k e

+
|
.
|

\
|
=
E
k
z

c
/2
Landau Levels
0
1
2
3

c

There are 2t/L
z
allowed k
z
states/unit length, and q (degenerate)
states/area for each of these allowed values. So total # of states
In volume under consideration (V = L
x
L
y
L
z
) is
( )2
1
2
1
2
1
0 0
) (
2
) (
2
1
2
max max
c z y x
n
n
z
E
m V
k L L
L
N e
t
q
q
t

+
|
.
|

\
|
=
|
|
.
|

\
|
=

= =
k
z
(0) k
z
(2) k
z
(3)
k
z
(1)
So the #/vol. is given by
( )
2
1
0
2
1
2
1
max
) (
2
) ( / ) (

=
+
|
.
|

\
|
|
.
|

\
|
= =

c
E
m
E n V E N e
t
q
And the density of states/vol. is
( ) ( ) 2
1
2
1
2
1
3
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
) ( ) (
2 ) (
) (

+
|
.
|

\
|
= +
|
.
|

\
|
= =
c c
E
h
m
eB E
m
dE
E dn
E D e
t
e
t
q

Series of sq. rt.

singularities, diverging
when E = (n+1/2)e
c

Here is the Landau
quantum number of the
highest occupied LL
max

E
D(E)
e
c
/2 5e
c
/2 9e
c
/2
Landau Levels
E
Lets consider a 2D system, which is just the behavior described previously for a
constant k
z
(taken to be zero for convenience)
Allowed energies are:
If we assume B 2D plane, area of a circular orbit in k- space is



c
E e

) (
2
1
+ =
A = p k
2
=
2p m
2
E =
eB
m
( +
1
2
)
k
, where we have taken , E =
2
k
2
2m
and set E = E

.
Orbit areas
are
quantized
Now take T = 0 and consider system of N total electrons; sheet (2D) density is .
y x s
L L N A N n / / = =
At a field B there are completely filled LLs. 1 + = =
q
h
eB
n n
s s
is Landau Q.# of
highest filled state
So is elec. density for which EXACTLY +1 LLs are filled at field B. ( )
h
eB
n
s
1 + =
B
=0
= 2
= 3
= 1
= 4 n
s

n
0
= total elec. density


Green line Elec. density
in COMPLETELY filled LLs
5 LLs exactly
filled
4 LLs exactly
filled
3 LLs exactly
filled
= 3
emptying
= 4
emptying
=1
= 2
=3
-- electron density in partially filled LLs
= 1
Discontinuous
changes when
(+1)(eB/h) = n
0

Exactly +1 LLs filled,
NO LLs partially filled
Note: to include spin deg. multiply rhs of above by 2
Oscillatory Effects
From previous page


Inverting we obtain the dHvA frequency, F

|
|
.
|

\
|
|
.
|

\
|
= =
|
|
.
|

\
|
A
|
.
|

\
|
+ =
= A
0
1
0
1 1
therefore ,
1
) 1 (
1
n h
e
P
B n h
e
B



Periodic in 1/B
with period P = e/(n
0
hB).
This is the de Haas van
Alphen (dHvA) period
G
,
0
|
.
|

\
|
=
e
h
n F H
G
dHvA frequency F is just electron areal density
multiplied by flux quantum h/e (total magnetic
flux penetrating the sample area (L
x
L
y
)); each
orbiting electron carries one flux quantum
n
s

1/B
1/B
0
1/B
1
1/B
2
1/B
3
1/B
4
1/B
5
1/B
6
1/B
7

B increasing
-- electron density
in partially filled LLs
Note: dHva Period is
INVERSELY proportional to
electron density, n
s
; dHvA
Frequency is DIRECTLY
proportional to n
s

Oscillatory Effects

Now calculate energy/area at some magnetic field B.
First, fully occupied levels:




So

Now partially filled levels:




So


Now consider energy when B = B

(condition for exactly filled LLs):

( ) ( )| | ) 1 2 .....( 7 5 3 1
2
1
2
1
0
1
+ + + + +
|
.
|

\
|
=
|
.
|

\
|
+ =

=
e e c

h
eB
h
eB
c c

Energy of an elec.
In level
# of elec./area
in each LL
Arithmetic Prog.

n terms
= n(a + L)/2,
where a = 1,
L = 2 +1
n = +1
( )
2
1
1
2
+
|
.
|

\
|
=
e
c
h
eB
c

( )
(

+
|
.
|

\
|
+ = ) 1 (
0 2
3
2
e c
h
eB
n
c

= + 1
Electron density
in FILLED LLs
TOTAL electron
Density/area
Always only ONE
LL that is partially
filled (at T = 0)
( ) ( ) ( ) ( )( )
)
`

+ + + =
)
`

+ + +
|
.
|

\
|
+ = + = 2 1 3 2
2
) 1 ( 3 2 1
2
0 0
2
2 1

e

e
c c c
h
eB
n
h
eB
n
h
eB
c c
tot


eB

h
( +1) = n
0
; c
2
= 0, and c() =c
1
=
he
c
2
eB

h
( +1)
2
=
e
2
B

2
4tm
+1 ( )
2
I
J
K
Energy is periodic in 1/B;
has same value when
1/B

changes by e/hn
0

Oscillatory Effects
At every value of B

the energy has the value




Now to get the behavior between the values of B

we write B = B

B in



where we have used B

=(h/e)(n
0
/( + 1)





c() =
e
2
4tm
h
2
e
2
n
0
2
+1 ( )
2
+1 ( )
2
=
h
2
4tm
n
0
2
=
E
F
2
n
0
Where for a 2D system (neglecting spin)
weve used .

n
s
=
mE
F
2th
2
J

c
tot
=
he
c
2
(2 + 3)n
0

eB
h
( +1)( +2)




`
)
=
E
F
(0)
2
n
0
m
he
'
B
4tm
n
0

e
2
'
B
2
4tm
( +1)( +2)




`
)

c

1
B

n
0
E
F
(0)
2

1
B
0
=
e
hn
0

1
B
2
=
3e
hn
0

1
B
4
=
5e
hn
0
Ave. energy of
spinless elec. in
2DEG
Energy oscillates with period
P = e/hn
0
, returning to same
value (n
0
E
F
/2) each cycle.
L
Oscillatory Effects
Calculate the Magnetization (dHvA effect -- oscillations in magnetization)


or from

M =
cc
cB
=
cc
c
'
B
,
L

M = n
0
he
4tm
|
\

|
.
| +
e
2
'
B
2tm
( +1)( +2)
M
Discontinuous doubled valued
function at each value of B

M
1/B

en
0
4tm

en
0
4tm
Sawtooth behavior
Discontinuous and double valued
whenever 1/B = 1/B

Oscillatory Effects