We investigate the two-dimensional motion of relativistic cold
electrons in the presence of `strictly’ spatially varying magnetic
fields satisfying, however, no magnetic monopole condition. We find that
the degeneracy of Landau levels, which arises in the case of the
constant magnetic field, lifts out when the field is variable and the
energy levels of spin-up and spin-down electrons align in an interesting
way depending on the nature of change of field. Also, the varying
magnetic field splits Landau levels of electrons with zero angular
momentum from positive angular momentum, unlike the constant field which
only can split the levels between positive and negative angular momenta.
Exploring Landau quantization in non-uniform magnetic fields is a unique
venture on its own and has interdisciplinary implications in the fields
ranging from condensed matter to astrophysics to quantum information. As
examples, we show magnetized white dwarfs, with varying magnetic fields,
involved simultaneously with Lorentz force and Landau quantization
affecting the underlying degenerate electron gas, exhibiting a
significant violation of the Chandrasekhar mass-limit; and an increase
in quantum speed of electrons in the presence of a spatially growing
magnetic field.