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Quantum-metric Bloch oscillations in weakly inhomogeneous electric fields

Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics 2026-05-22 v1

Abstract

Geometric analogs of Bloch oscillations studied so far have relied on Berry curvature. We show that a weakly inhomogeneous electric field adds a distinct quantum-metric term to semiclassical wavepacket dynamics, generating an oscillatory real-space contribution even when the Berry curvature vanishes. The associated transport response comprises an intrinsic and a scattering-time-dependent part. In the regime studied, the latter can dominate and approach finite saturation at high field when the relative field inhomogeneity is held fixed. A tilted Dirac model illustrates the mechanism. Realistic platforms will likely require synthetically engineered superlattices, with a finite quantum metric and an adequate band gap.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2605.22227,
  title  = {Quantum-metric Bloch oscillations in weakly inhomogeneous electric fields},
  author = {M. Maneesh Kumar and Md Kaif Faiyaz and Sayan Sarkar and Amit Agarwal},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2605.22227},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

12 Pages, 4 Figures