arXiv:1304.2279 · Physical Review B
Local characterization of one-dimensional topologically ordered states
Jian Cui, Luigi Amico A, Heng Fan, Mile Gu, Alioscia Hamma, Vlatko Vedral
Abstract
We consider one-dimensional Hamiltonian systems whose ground states display symmetry-protected topological order. We show that ground states within the topological phase cannot be connected with each other through local operations and classical communication between a bipartition of the system. Our claim is demonstrated by analyzing the entanglement spectrum and R\'enyi entropies of different physical systems that provide examples for symmetry-protected topological phases. Specifically, we consider the spin-$1/2$ cluster-Ising model and a class of spin-1 models undergoing quantum phase transitions to the Haldane phase. Our results provide a probe for symmetry-protected topological order. Since the picture holds even at the system's local scale, our analysis can serve as a local experimental test for topological order.