In Landau gauge with periodic boundary conditions of length , adjacent guiding centres differ by . A perpendicular electric field tilts the energy by , so adjacent states formerly in one degenerate Landau level are separated by .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ii Paper 2 33E Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 ii Paper 1 34B a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Choose the Landau gaugeIt preserves translation invariance in the -direction, so is conserved. With , magnetic minimal coupling giveswhereThis is a quantum harmonic oscillator, so the Landau levels areindependent of .
The periodic boundary condition in quantizes . Requiring the guiding centre to lie in a strip of width gives a -interval of width . The number of allowed integers is therefore approximatelythe degeneracy of a Landau level, up to boundary corrections.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 4 34D a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Take and use the Landau gauge . With zero -momentum, the Hamiltonian becomesFor a state , this is a quantum harmonic oscillator in , centred atwith cyclotron frequencyThe Landau levels are therefore
Periodicity in quantizes . Requiring the corresponding oscillator centre to lie in an interval of length leavesallowed centres for each . This is the degeneracy of a Landau level, equal to the magnetic flux through the rectangle divided by the magnetic flux quantum . Consistent magnetic periodic boundary conditions make an integer.