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arXiv:1212.0593 · Physical Review B

Classifying fractionalization: Symmetry classification of gapped Z 2 spin liquids in two dimensions

Andrew M. Essin, Michael Hermele

Published Mar 14, 2013• 240 citations
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Abstract

We classify distinct types of quantum number fractionalization occurring in two-dimensional topologically ordered phases, focusing in particular on phases with ${\mathbb{Z}}_{2}$ topological order, that is, on gapped ${\mathbb{Z}}_{2}$ spin liquids. We find that the fractionalization class of each anyon is an equivalence class of projective representations of the symmetry group, corresponding to elements of the cohomology group ${H}^{2}(G,{\mathbb{Z}}_{2})$. This result leads us to a symmetry classification of gapped ${\mathbb{Z}}_{2}$ spin liquids, such that two phases in different symmetry classes cannot be connected without breaking symmetry or crossing a phase transition. Symmetry classes are defined by specifying a fractionalization class for each type of anyon. The fusion rules of anyons play a crucial role in determining the symmetry classes. For translation and internal symmetries, braiding statistics plays no role, but can affect the classification when point group symmetries are present. For square lattice space group, time-reversal, and $\mathrm{SO}(3)$ spin rotation symmetries, we find $2\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}098\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}176\ensuremath{\approx}{2}^{21}$ distinct symmetry classes. Our symmetry classification is not complete, as we exclude, by assumption, permutation of the different types of anyons by symmetry operations. We give an explicit construction of symmetry classes for square lattice space group symmetry in the toric code model. Via simple examples, we illustrate how information about fractionalization classes can, in principle, be obtained from the spectrum and quantum numbers of excited states. Moreover, the symmetry class can be partially determined from the quantum numbers of the four degenerate ground states on the torus. We also extend our results to arbitrary Abelian topological orders (limited, though, to translations and internal symmetries), and compare our classification with the related projective symmetry group classification of parton mean-field theories. Our results provide a framework for understanding and probing the sharp distinctions among symmetric ${\mathbb{Z}}_{2}$ spin liquids and are a first step toward a full classification of symmetric topologically ordered phases.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.87.104406

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We classify distinct types of quantum number fractionalization occurring in two-dimensional topologically ordered phases, focusing in particular on phases with Z2{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}Z2​ topological order, that is, on gapped Z2{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}Z2​ spin liquids. We find that the fractionalization class of each anyon is an equivalence class of projective representations of the symmetry group, corresponding to elements of the cohomology group H2(G,Z2){H}^{2}(G,{\mathbb{Z}}_{2})H2(G,Z2​). This result leads us to a symmetry classification of gapped Z2{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}Z2​ spin liquids, such that two phases in different symmetry classes cannot be connected without breaking symmetry or crossing a phase transition. Symmetry classes are defined by specifying a fractionalization class for each type of anyon. The fusion rules of anyons play a crucial role in determining the symmetry classes. For translation and internal symmetries, braiding statistics plays no role, but can affect the classification when point group symmetries are present. For square lattice space group, time-reversal, and SO(3)\mathrm{SO}(3)SO(3) spin rotation symmetries, we find 2098176\ensuremath≈2212\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}098\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}176\ensuremath{\approx}{2}^{21}2098176\ensuremath≈221 distinct symmetry classes. Our symmetry classification is not complete, as we exclude, by assumption, permutation of the different types of anyons by symmetry operations. We give an explicit construction of symmetry classes for square lattice space group symmetry in the toric code model. Via simple examples, we illustrate how information about fractionalization classes can, in principle, be obtained from the spectrum and quantum numbers of excited states. Moreover, the symmetry class can be partially determined from the quantum numbers of the four degenerate ground states on the torus. We also extend our results to arbitrary Abelian topological orders (limited, though, to translations and internal symmetries), and compare our classification with the related projective symmetry group classification of parton mean-field theories. Our results provide a framework for understanding and probing the sharp distinctions among symmetric Z2{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}Z2​ spin liquids and are a first step toward a full classification of symmetric topologically ordered phases.
We study square lattice space-group symmetry fractionalization in a family of exactly solvable models with Z2{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}Z2​ topological order in two dimensions. In particular, we have obtained a complete understanding of which distinct types of symmetry fractionalization (symmetry classes) can be realized within this class of models, which are generalizations of Kitaev's Z2{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}Z2​ toric code to arbitrary lattices. This question is motivated by earlier work of Essin and one of us (M. H.) [Phys. Rev. B 87, 104406 (2013)], where the idea of symmetry classification was laid out, and which, for square lattice symmetry, produces 2080 symmetry classes consistent with the fusion rules of Z2{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}Z2​ topological order. This approach does not produce a physical model for each symmetry class, and indeed there are reasons to believe that some symmetry classes may not be realizable in strictly two-dimensional systems, thus raising the question of which classes are in fact possible. While our understanding is limited to a restricted class of models, it is complete in the sense that for each of the 2080 possible symmetry classes, we either prove rigorously that the class cannot be realized in our family of models, or we give an explicit model realizing the class. We thus find that exactly 487 symmetry classes are realized in the family of models considered. With a more restrictive type of symmetry action, where space-group operations act trivially in the internal Hilbert space of each spin degree of freedom, we find that exactly 82 symmetry classes are realized. In addition, we present a single model that realizes all 26=64{2}^{6}=6426=64 types of symmetry fractionalization allowed for a single anyon species (Z2{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}Z2​ charge excitation), as the parameters in the Hamiltonian are varied. The paper concludes with a summary and a discussion of two results pertaining to more general bosonic models.
In this thesis, we study the topological phases of quantum spin systems. One project is to investigate a class of anti-ferromagnetic SU(N) Heisenberg models, describing Mott insulators of fermionic ultra-cold alkaline earth atoms on the three-dimensional simple cubic lattice. Our large-N analysis maps a rich phase diagram. One particularly striking state we found spontaneously breaks lattice rotation symmetry, where the cubic lattice breaks up into bilayers, each of which forms a two-dimensional chiral spin liquid state. In the other projects, we study the phenomenon of symmetry fractionalization on anyons as a tool to characterize two-dimensional symmetry enriched topological phases. In particular, we focus on how crystalline symmetries may fractionalize in gapped Z2 spin liquids. If the system has the symmetry of the square lattice, then there are 2080 symmetry fractionalization patterns possible. With exactly solvable models, we realize 487 of these in strictly two-dimensional systems. In addition, we succeed to understand why the remaining patterns cannot be found in the family of models we construct. Some can only appear on the surface of three-dimensional systems with non-trivial point group symmetry protected topological (pgSPT) order, whose boundary degrees of freedom transform non-locally under the symmetries. We construct a simple toy model to show this anomalous crystalline symmetry fractionalization phenomenon associated with a reflection. Moreover, our approach establishes the connection between the pgSPT phases and the topological phases with on-site symmetries in lower dimensions. This insight is very useful for classification of pgSPT orders in general.
We study (2+1)-dimensional phases with topological order, such as fractional quantum Hall states and gapped spin liquids, in the presence of global symmetries. Phases that share the same topological order can then differ depending on the action of symmetry, leading to symmetry-enriched topological (SET) phases. Here, we present a KKK-matrix Chern-Simons approach to identify distinct phases with Abelian topological order, in the presence of unitary or antiunitary global symmetries. A key step is the identification of a smooth edge sewing condition that is used to check if two putative phases are indeed distinct. We illustrate this method by classifying Z2{Z}_{2}Z2​ topological order (Z2{Z}_{2}Z2​ spin liquids) in the presence of an internal Z2{Z}_{2}Z2​ global symmetry for which we find six distinct phases. These include two phases with an unconventional action of symmetry that permutes anyons leading to symmetry-protected Majorana edge modes. Other routes to realizing protected edge states in SET phases are identified. Symmetry-enriched Laughlin states and double-semion theories are also discussed. Somewhat surprisingly, we observe that (i) gauging the global symmetry of distinct SET phases leads to topological orders with the same total quantum dimension, and (ii) a pair of distinct SET phases can yield the same topological order on gauging the symmetry.
We present a systematic framework to classify symmetry-enriched topological quantum spin liquids in two spatial dimensions. This framework can deal with all topological quantum spin liquids, which may be either Abelian or non-Abelian and chiral or nonchiral. It can systematically treat a general symmetry, which may include both lattice symmetry and internal symmetry, may contain antiunitary symmetry, and may permute anyons. The framework applies to all types of lattices and can systematically distinguish different lattice systems with the same symmetry group using their quantum anomalies, which are sometimes known as Lieb-Schultz-Mattis anomalies. We apply this framework to classify U ( 1 ) 2 N chiral states and non-Abelian Ising ( ν ) states enriched by a p 6 × SO ( 3 ) or p 4 × SO ( 3 ) symmetry and Z N topological orders and U ( 1 ) 2 N × U ( 1 ) − 2 N topological orders enriched by a p 6 m × SO ( 3 ) × Z 2 T , p 4 m × SO ( 3 ) × Z 2 T , p 6 m × Z 2 T , or p 4 m × Z 2 T symmetry, where p 6 , p 4 , p 6 m , and p 4 m are lattice symmetries while SO(3) and Z 2 T are spin rotation and time-reversal symmetries, respectively. In particular, we identify symmetry-enriched topological quantum spin liquids that are not easily captured by the usual parton-mean-field approach, including examples with the familiar Z 2 topological order. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
Symmetry fractionalization on topological excitations is one of the most remarkable quantum phenomena in topological orders with symmetry, i.e., symmetry-enriched topological phases. While much progress has been theoretically and experimentally made in two dimensions (2D), the understanding on symmetry fractionalization in 3D is far from complete. A long-standing challenge is to understand symmetry fractionalization on looplike topological excitations, which are spatially extended objects. In this paper, we construct a powerful topological-field-theoretical framework approach for 3D topological orders, which leads to a systematic characterization and classification of symmetry fractionalization. For systems with Abelian gauge groups (Gg{G}_{g}Gg​) and Abelian symmetry groups (Gs{G}_{s}Gs​), we successfully establish equivalence classes that lead to a finite number of patterns of symmetry fractionalization, although there are notoriously infinite number of Lagrangian-descriptions of the system. Based on this, we compute topologically distinct types of fractional symmetry charges carried by particles. Then, for each type, we compute topologically distinct statistical phases of braiding processes among loop excitations and external symmetry fluxes. As a result, we are able to unambiguously list all physical observables for each pattern of symmetry fractionalization. We present detailed calculations on many concrete examples. As an example, we find that the symmetry fractionalization in an untwisted ${\mathbb{Z}}_{2}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}$ topological order with Z2{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}Z2​ symmetry is classified by ${({\mathbb{Z}}_{2})}^{6}\ensuremath{\bigoplus}{({\mathbb{Z}}_{2})}^{2}\ensuremath{\bigoplus}{({\mathbb{Z}}_{2})}^{2}\ensuremath{\bigoplus}{({\mathbb{Z}}_{2})}^{2}$. If the topological order is twisted, the classification reduces to (Z2)6{({\mathbb{Z}}_{2})}^{6}(Z2​)6 in which particle excitations always carry integer charge. Inspired by the field-theoretical analysis, we find that our classification of symmetry fractionalization with twist $\ensuremath{\omega}$ can be formally organized into an algebraic formalism: ${⨁}_{{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{i}}{\mathcal{H}}^{4}({G}_{g}{\ensuremath{\leftthreetimes}}_{{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{i}}{G}_{s},U(1))/{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}}_{\ensuremath{\omega}}({\ensuremath{\nu}}_{i}),$ where anomaly-free symmetry fractionalization on particles ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{i}\ensuremath{\in}{\mathcal{H}}_{non}^{2}({G}_{s},{G}_{g})$. Despite the lack of detailed dependence of ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}}_{\ensuremath{\omega}}({\ensuremath{\nu}}_{i})$ on $\ensuremath{\omega}$ and ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{i}$, the present field-theoretical approach allows us to efficiently calculate and understand ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}}_{\ensuremath{\omega}}({\ensuremath{\nu}}_{i})$. Several future directions are presented at the end of this paper.
Topological order in two-dimensions can be described in terms of deconfined quasiparticle excitations—anyons—and their braiding statistics. However, it has recently been realized that this data does not completely describe the situation in the presence of an unbroken global symmetry. In this case, there can be multiple distinct quantum phases with the same anyons and statistics, but with different patterns of symmetry fractionalization—termed symmetry enriched topological order. When the global symmetry group G , which we take to be discrete, does not change topological superselection sectors—i.e. does not change one type of anyon into a different type of anyon—one can imagine a local version of the action of G around each anyon. This leads to projective representations and a group cohomology description of symmetry fractionalization, with the second cohomology group H 2 ( G , A a b e l i a n ) being the relevant group. In this paper, we treat the general case of a symmetry group G possibly permuting anyon types. We show that despite the lack of a local action of G , one can still make sense of a so-called twisted group cohomology description of symmetry fractionalization, and show how this data is encoded in the associativity of fusion rules of the extrinsic ‘twist’ defects of the symmetry. Furthermore, building on work of Hermele (2014 Phys. Rev. B 90 184418 ), we construct a wide class of exactly-solvable models which exhibit this twisted symmetry fractionalization, and connect them to our formal framework.