Eur. Phys. J. B 36, 187-191 (2003)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2003-00334-9

Can the spin-orbit interaction break the channel degeneracy (conservation) of the two-channel orbital Kondo problem?

¹ Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Research Group “Theory of Condensed Matter”, 1521 Budapest, Hungary
² Research Institute for Solid State Physics, POB 49, 1525 Budapest, Hungary

Corresponding author: ^a ujsaghy@neumann.phy.bme.hu

Received: 30 May 2003
Revised: 21 October 2003
Published online: 8 December 2003

Abstract

Two-level systems (TLS) interacting with conduction electrons are possibly described by the two-channel Kondo Hamiltonian. In this case the channel degeneracy is due to the real spin of the electrons. The possibility of breaking that degeneracy (conservation) has interest on his own. In fact, we show that the interaction of the conduction electrons with a spin-orbit scatterer nearby the TLS leads to the breaking of the channel degeneracy (conservation) only in the case of electron-hole symmetry breaking. The generated channel symmetry breaking TLS-electron couplings are, however, too weak to result in any observable effects.