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arXiv:1805.04531 · Physical review. B./Physical review. B

Interplay of SU(2), point group, and translational symmetry for projected entangled pair states: Application to a chiral spin liquid

Anna Hackenbroich, Antoine Sterdyniak, Norbert Schuch

Published Aug 29, 2018• 18 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Projected entangled pair states (PEPS) provide exact representations for many nonchiral topologically ordered states whereas their range of applicability to interacting chiral topological phases remains largely unsettled. In this context, the symmetries of the local PEPS tensors are crucial for determining the characteristic topological features of the state. In this paper we examine the constraints that arise when different symmetries are imposed simultaneously on the local tensor such as internal $\mathrm{SU}(2)$, point group, and translation symmetry. We show how the interplay of these symmetries manifests in the entanglement spectrum which is the main diagnostic tool for chiral topological order. We apply our results to a spin liquid PEPS introduced previously as a chiral generalization of the resonating valence bond state. Our findings explain the discrepancies observed between the entanglement spectrum of this state and the expected edge spectrum described by a chiral conformal field theory. Finally, in a certain parameter region where this PEPS possesses an additional $U(1)$ symmetry we are able to resolve these discrepancies and obtain an entanglement spectrum with the expected state countings and conformal weight.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.98.085151

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Projected entangled pair states (PEPS) provide exact representations for many nonchiral topologically ordered states whereas their range of applicability to interacting chiral topological phases remains largely unsettled. In this context, the symmetries of the local PEPS tensors are crucial for determining the characteristic topological features of the state. In this paper we examine the constraints that arise when different symmetries are imposed simultaneously on the local tensor such as internal SU(2)\mathrm{SU}(2)SU(2), point group, and translation symmetry. We show how the interplay of these symmetries manifests in the entanglement spectrum which is the main diagnostic tool for chiral topological order. We apply our results to a spin liquid PEPS introduced previously as a chiral generalization of the resonating valence bond state. Our findings explain the discrepancies observed between the entanglement spectrum of this state and the expected edge spectrum described by a chiral conformal field theory. Finally, in a certain parameter region where this PEPS possesses an additional U(1)U(1)U(1) symmetry we are able to resolve these discrepancies and obtain an entanglement spectrum with the expected state countings and conformal weight.
We address the key question of representation of chiral topological quantum states in 2+12+12+1 dimensions (i.e., with nonzero chiral central charge) by projected entangled pair states (PEPS). A noted result (due to Wahl et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 236805 (2013)], and Dubail and Read [Phys. Rev. B 92, 205307 (2015)] says that this is possible for noninteracting fermions, but the answer is as yet unknown for interacting systems. Characteristic counting of degeneracies of low-lying states in the entanglement spectrum (ES) at fixed transverse momentum of bipartitioned long cylinders (``Li-Haldane counting'') provides often-used supporting evidence for chirality. However, nonchiral PEPS (with zero chiral central charge), yet with strong breaking of time-reversal and reflection symmetries, with invariance under the product of these two operations (i.e., ``apparently'' chiral states), are known whose low-lying ES exhibits the same Li-Haldane counting as a chiral state in certain topological sectors [Kure\ifmmode \check{c}\else \v{c}\fi{}i\ifmmode \acute{c}\else \'{c}\fi{} et al., Phys. Rev. B 99, 045116 (2019); Arildsen et al., Phys. Rev. B 108, 245150 (2023)]. In this work, we identify a distinct indicator and hallmark of chirality in the ES of PEPS with global SU(3)\mathrm{SU}(3)SU(3) symmetry: the splittings of conjugate irreps. We prove that in the ES of the chiral states conjugate irreps are exactly degenerate because the operators that would split them [related to the cubic Casimir invariant of SU(3)\mathrm{SU}(3)SU(3)] are forbidden. By contrast, in the ES of nonchiral states, conjugate splittings are demonstrably nonvanishing. Such a diagnostic provides an unambiguous and powerful tool to distinguish chiral and nonchiral topological states in 2+12+12+1 dimensions via their entanglement spectra.
Quantum spin liquids can be faithfully represented and efficiently characterized within the framework of projected entangled pair states (PEPS). Guided by extensive exact diagonalization and density matrix renormalization group calculations, we construct an optimized symmetric PEPS for a SU(3)_{1} chiral spin liquid on the square lattice. Characteristic features are revealed by the entanglement spectrum (ES) on an infinitely long cylinder. In all three Z_{3} sectors, the level counting of the linear dispersing modes is in full agreement with SU(3)_{1} Wess-Zumino-Witten conformal field theory prediction. Special features in the ES are shown to be in correspondence with bulk anyonic correlations, indicating a fine structure in the holographic bulk-edge correspondence. Possible universal properties of topological SU(N)_{k} chiral PEPS are discussed.
Doubts have been raised on the representation of chiral spin liquids exhibiting topological order in terms of projected entangled pair states (PEPSs). Here, starting from a simple spin-1/2 chiral frustrated Heisenberg model, we show that a faithful representation of the chiral spin liquid phase is in fact possible in terms of a generic PEPS upon variational optimization. We find a perfectly chiral gapless edge mode and a rapid decay of correlation functions at short distances consistent with a bulk gap, concomitant with a gossamer long-range tail originating from a PEPS bulk-edge correspondence. For increasing bond dimension, (i) the rapid decrease of spurious features-SU(2) symmetry breaking and long-range tails in correlations-together with (ii) a faster convergence of the ground state energy as compared to state-of-the-art cylinder matrix-product state simulations involving far more variational parameters, prove the fundamental relevance of the PEPS ansatz for simulating systems with chiral topological order.
We elaborate a simple classification scheme of all rank-5 SU(2) spin rotational symmetric tensors according to (i) the onsite physical spin SSS, (ii) the local Hilbert space ${V}^{\ensuremath{\bigotimes}4}$ of the four virtual (composite) spins attached to each site, and (iii) the irreducible representations of the C4v{C}_{4v}C4v​ point group of the square lattice. We apply our scheme to draw a complete list of all SU(2)-symmetric translationally and rotationally invariant projected entangled pair states (PEPS) with bond dimension $D\ensuremath{\le}6$. All known SU(2)-symmetric PEPS on the square lattice are recovered and simple generalizations are provided in some cases. More generally, to each of our symmetry class can be associated a $(\mathcal{D}\ensuremath{-}1)\text{-dimensional}$ manifold of spin liquids (potentially) preserving lattice symmetries and defined in terms of D-independent\mathcal{D}\text{-independent}D-independent tensors of a given bond dimension DDD. In addition, generic (low-dimensional) families of PEPS explicitly breaking either (i) particular point-group lattice symmetries (lattice nematics) or (ii) time-reversal symmetry (chiral spin liquids) or (iii) SU(2) spin rotation symmetry down to U(1)\text{U}(1)U(1) (spin nematics or N\'eel antiferromagnets) can also be constructed. We apply this framework to search for new topological chiral spin liquids characterized by well-defined chiral edge modes, as revealed by their entanglement spectrum. In particular, we show how the symmetrization of a double-layer PEPS leads to a chiral topological state with a gapless edge described by a SU(2)2\mathrm{SU}{(2)}_{2}SU(2)2​ Wess-Zumino-Witten model.
We construct a topological spin-liquid (TSL) model on the kagome lattice, with SU(3)\mathrm{SU}(3)SU(3) symmetry with the fundamental representation at each lattice site, based on projected entangled pair states (PEPS). Using the PEPS framework, we can adiabatically connect the model to a fixed-point model (analogous to the dimer model for resonating valence bond states) which we prove to be locally equivalent to a Z3{\mathbb{Z}}_{3}Z3​ quantum double model. Numerical study of the interpolation reveals no sign of a phase transition or long-range order, characterizing the model conclusively as a gapped TSL. We further study the entanglement spectrum of the model and find that while it is gapped, it exhibits branches with vastly different velocities, with the slow branch matching the counting of a chiral SU(3)1\mathrm{SU}{(3)}_{1}SU(3)1​ Conformal Field Theory, suggesting that it can be deformed to a model with chiral SU(3)1\mathrm{SU}{(3)}_{1}SU(3)1​ entanglement spectrum.
Protected chiral edge modes are a well-known signature of topologically ordered phases, such as the fractional quantum Hall states (FQHS). Using the framework of projected entangled pair states (PEPS) on the square lattice, the authors construct a family of chiral spin-12\frac{1}{2}21​ quantum spin liquids with Z2{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}Z2​ gauge symmetry and analyze in full detail the properties of the edge modes. Surprisingly, the results show that the latter can be well described by a chiral conformal field theory of free bosons (SU(2)1{}_{1}1​), as is the case for the $\ensuremath{\nu}$=12\frac{1}{2}21​ (bosonic) gapped Laughlin state, despite the fact that the numerical data here suggest a critical bulk. The authors thus propose that our family of PEPS physically describes a boundary between a chiral topological phase and a trivial phase and might be closely connected to an (unknown) analogous FQHS.