Riemannian geometry of resonant optical responses

The geometry of quantum states is well established as a basis for understanding the response of electronic systems to static electromagnetic fields, as exemplified by the theory of the quantum and anomalous Hall effects. However, it has been challenging to relate quantum geometry to resonant optical responses. The main obstacle is that optical transitions involve a pair of states, whereas existing geometrical properties are defined for a single state. As a result, a concrete geometric understanding of optical responses has so far been limited to two-level systems, where the Hilbert space is completely determined by a single state and its orthogonal complement. Here, we construct a general theory of Riemannian geometry for resonant optical processes by identifying transition dipole moment matrix elements as tangent vectors. This theory applies to arbitrarily high-order responses, suggesting that optical responses can generally be thought of as manifestations of the Riemannian geometry of quantum states. We use our theory to show that third-order photovoltaic Hall effects are related to the Riemann curvature tensor and demonstrate an experimentally accessible regime where they dominate the response. The modern understanding of quantum transport relies on geometric concepts such as the Berry phase. The geometric approach has now been extended to the theory of optical transitions.

Automated summary

This study establishes a general theory of Riemannian geometry for resonant optical processes by identifying transition dipole moment matrix elements as tangent vectors, showing that optical responses can generally be thought of as manifestations of the Riemannian geometry of quantum states.