Steering Zitterbewegung in driven Dirac systems: From persistent modes to echoes

Abstract

Although zitterbewegung -the jittery motion of relativistic particles -is known since 1930 and was predicted in solid state systems long ago, it has been directly measured so far only in so-called quantum simulators, i.e. quantum systems under strong control such as trapped ions and Bose-Einstein condensates. A reason for the lack of further experimental evidence is the transient nature of wave packet zitterbewegung. Here we study how the jittery motion can be manipulated in Dirac systems via time-dependent potentials, with the goal of slowing down/preventing its decay, or of generating its revival. For the harmonic driving of a mass term, we find persistent zitterbewegung modes in pristine, i.e. scattering free, systems. Furthermore, an effective time-reversal protocolthe "Dirac quantum time mirror" -is shown to retrieve zitterbewegung through echoes.