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arXiv:1911.00653 · Journal of High Energy Physics

Non-local order parameters and quantum entanglement for fermionic topological field theories

Kansei Inamura, Ryohei Kobayashi, Shinsei Ryu

Published Jan 20, 2020• 6 citations
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Abstract

Abstract We study quantized non-local order parameters, constructed by using partial time-reversal and partial reflection, for fermionic topological phases of matter in one spatial dimension protected by an orientation reversing symmetry, using topological quantum field theories (TQFTs). By formulating the order parameters in the Hilbert space of state sum TQFT, we establish the connection between the quantized non-local order parameters and the underlying field theory, clarifying the nature of the order parameters as topological invariants. We also formulate several entanglement measures including the entanglement negativity on state sum spin TQFT, and describe the exact correspondence of the entanglement measures to path integrals on a closed surface equipped with a specific spin structure.

DOI
10.1007/jhep01(2020)121

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Abstract We study quantized non-local order parameters, constructed by using partial time-reversal and partial reflection, for fermionic topological phases of matter in one spatial dimension protected by an orientation reversing symmetry, using topological quantum field theories (TQFTs). By formulating the order parameters in the Hilbert space of state sum TQFT, we establish the connection between the quantized non-local order parameters and the underlying field theory, clarifying the nature of the order parameters as topological invariants. We also formulate several entanglement measures including the entanglement negativity on state sum spin TQFT, and describe the exact correspondence of the entanglement measures to path integrals on a closed surface equipped with a specific spin structure.
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Topological phases protected by symmetry can occur in gapped and—surprisingly—in critical systems. We consider non-interacting fermions in one dimension with spinless time-reversal symmetry. It is known that the phases are classified by a topological invariant ω\omega ω ω and a central charge c. We investigate the correlations of string operators, giving insight into the interplay between topology and criticality. In the gapped phases, these non-local string order parameters allow us to extract ω\omega ω ω . Remarkably, ratios of correlation lengths are universal. In the critical phases, the scaling dimensions of these operators serve as an order parameter, encoding ω\omega ω ω and c. We derive exact asymptotics of these correlation functions using Toeplitz determinant theory. We include physical discussion, e.g., relating lattice operators to the conformal field theory. Moreover, we discuss the dual spin chains. Using the aforementioned universality, the topological invariant of the spin chain can be obtained from correlations of local observables.
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