Zitterbewegung velocity in semiclassical electron dynamics
Other Condensed Matter
2026-05-18 v1
Abstract
Zitterbewegung plays a major role in electron dynamics in solids, yet is not captured in conventional semiclassical treatments. Here, starting from the quantum Liouville equation, I identify a new Zitterbewegung velocity, which involves the symmetric and antisymmetric components of the quantum geometric tensor oscillating out of phase. The Zitterbewegung velocity resolves the position-shift paradox, recovering the field-induced shift in an electron's position by integrating the semiclassical equations, and is directly related to the famous minimum conductivity of massless Dirac fermions.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2605.15292,
title = {Zitterbewegung velocity in semiclassical electron dynamics},
author = {Dimitrie Culcer},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2605.15292},
year = {2026}
}