Abstract In this work we consider general fermion systems in two spatial dimensions, both with and without charge conservation symmetry, which realize a non-trivial fermionic topological order with only Abelian anyons. We address the question of precisely how these quantum phases differ from their bosonic counterparts, both in terms of their edge physics and in the way one would identify them in numerics. As in previous works, we answer these questions by studying the theory obtained after gauging the global fermion parity symmetry, which turns out to have a special and simple structure. Using this structure, a minimal scheme is outlined for how to numerically identify a general Abelian fermionic topological order, without making use of fermion number conservation. Along the way, some subtleties of the momentum polarization technique are discussed. Regarding the edge physics, it is shown that the gauged theory can have a (bosonic) gapped boundary to the vacuum if and only if the ungauged fermion theory has a gapped boundary as well.
Abstract In this work we consider general fermion systems in two spatial dimensions, both with and without charge conservation symmetry, which realize a non-trivial fermionic topological order with only Abelian anyons. We address the question of precisely how these quantum phases differ from their bosonic counterparts, both in terms of their edge physics and in the way one would identify them in numerics. As in previous works, we answer these questions by studying the theory obtained after gauging the global fermion parity symmetry, which turns out to have a special and simple structure. Using this structure, a minimal scheme is outlined for how to numerically identify a general Abelian fermionic topological order, without making use of fermion number conservation. Along the way, some subtleties of the momentum polarization technique are discussed. Regarding the edge physics, it is shown that the gauged theory can have a (bosonic) gapped boundary to the vacuum if and only if the ungauged fermion theory has a gapped boundary as well.
By definition, the physics of the d-dimensional (dim) boundary of a (d+1)-dim symmetry protected topological (SPT) state cannot be realized as itself on a d-dim lattice. If the symmetry of the system is unitary, then a formal way to determine whether a d-dim theory must be a boundary or not, is to couple this theory to a gauge field (or to ``gauge'' its symmetry), and check if there is a gauge anomaly. In this paper we discuss the following question: Can the boundary of a SPT state be driven into a fully gapped topological order which preserves all the symmetries? We argue (conjecture) that if the gauge anomaly of the boundary is ``perturbative,'' then the boundary must remain gapless; while if the boundary only has global gauge anomaly but no perturbative anomaly, then it is possible to gap out the boundary by driving it into a topological state, when $d\ensuremath{\ge}2$. We will demonstrate this conjecture with two examples: (1) the 3d spin-1/2 chiral fermion with the well-known Witten's global anomaly [Phys. Lett. 117, 324 (1982)], which can be realized on the boundary of a 4d topological superconductor with SU(2) or $U(1)\ensuremath{\rtimes}{Z}_{2}$ symmetry; and (2) the 4d boundary of a 5d topological superconductor with the same symmetry. We show that these boundary systems can be driven into a fully gapped Z2N topological order with topological degeneracy, but this Z2N topological order cannot be future driven into a trivial confined phase that preserves all the symmetries due to some special properties of its topological defects. Our study also leads to exotic states of matter in pure 3d space.
We utilize the topological holographic framework to characterize and gain insights into the nature of quantum critical points and gapless phases in fermionic quantum systems. Topological holography is a general framework that describes the generalized global symmetry and the symmetry charges of a local quantum system in terms of a slab of a topological order, termed as the symmetry topological field theory (SymTFT), in one higher dimension. In this work, we consider a generalization of the topological holographic picture for (1+1) d fermionic quantum phases of matter. We discuss how spin structures are encoded in the SymTFT, and we establish the connection between the formal fermionization formula in quantum field theory and the choice of fermionic gapped boundary conditions of the SymTFT. We demonstrate the identification and the characterization of the fermionic gapped phases and phase transitions through detailed analysis of various examples, including the fermionic systems with Z 2 F , Z 2 × Z 2 F , Z 4 F , and the fermionic version of the noninvertible Rep ( S 3 ) symmetry. Our work uncovers many exotic fermionic gapped phases, quantum critical points, and gapless phases. These include gapped phases with fermionic noninvertible Rep ( S 3 ) symmetry, two kinds of fermionic symmetry-enriched quantum critical points, a fermionic gapless symmetry-protected topological phase, and a fermionic gapless spontaneous symmetry-breaking phase that breaks the fermionic noninvertible symmetry.
Symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases are gapped short-range-entangled quantum phases with a symmetry G, which can all be smoothly connected to the trivial product states if we break the symmetry. It has been shown that a large class of interacting bosonic SPT phases can be systematically described by group cohomology theory. In this paper, we introduce a (special) group supercohomology theory which is a generalization of the standard group cohomology theory. We show that a large class of short-range interacting fermionic SPT phases can be described by the group supercohomology theory. Using the data of supercocycles, we can obtain the ideal ground state wave function for the corresponding fermionic SPT phase. We can also obtain the bulk Hamiltonian that realizes the SPT phase, as well as the anomalous (i.e., non-onsite) symmetry for the boundary effective Hamiltonian. The anomalous symmetry on the boundary implies that the symmetric boundary must be gapless for (1+1)-dimensional [(1+1)D] boundary, and must be gapless or topologically ordered beyond (1+1)D. As an application of this general result, we construct a new SPT phase in three dimensions, for interacting fermionic superconductors with coplanar spin order (which have T2=1 time-reversal Z2T and fermion-number-parity Z2f symmetries described by a full symmetry group ${Z}_{2}^{T}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{Z}_{2}^{f}$). Such a fermionic SPT state can neither be realized by free fermions nor by interacting bosons (formed by fermion pairs), and thus are not included in the K-theory classification for free fermions or group cohomology description for interacting bosons. We also construct three interacting fermionic SPT phases in two dimensions (2D) with a full symmetry group ${Z}_{2}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{Z}_{2}^{f}$. Those 2D fermionic SPT phases all have central-charge c=1 gapless edge excitations, if the symmetry is not broken.
We study effectively one-dimensional systems that emerge at the edge of a two-dimensional topologically ordered state, or at the boundary between two topologically ordered states. We argue that anyons of the bulk are associated with emergent symmetries of the edge, which play a crucial role in the structure of its phase diagram. Using this symmetry principle, transitions between distinct gapped phases at the boundaries of Abelian states can be understood in terms of symmetry-breaking transitions or transitions between symmetry-protected topological phases. Yet more exotic phenomena occur when the bulk hosts non-Abelian anyons. To demonstrate these principles, we explore the phase diagrams of the edges of a single and a double layer of the toric code, as well as those of domain walls in a single- and double-layer Kitaev spin liquid (KSL). In the case of the KSL, we find that the presence of a non-Abelian anyon in the bulk enforces Kramers-Wannier self-duality as a symmetry of the effective boundary theory. These examples illustrate a number of surprising phenomena, such as spontaneous duality breaking, two-sector phase transitions, and unfreezing of marginal operators at a transition between different gapless phases.
Fermionic topological orders can host 't Hooft anomalies with no bosonic counterpart. We identify a new sixteen-fold family of (2+1)D fermionic topological orders, forming a fermionic analogue of Kitaev's sixteen-fold way. This family is distinguished by the mod 16 't Hooft anomaly of a Z2 one-form symmetry, generated in each theory by a single nontrivial Z2 anyon. This intrinsically fermionic anomaly permits anyon spins that are forbidden in bosonic phases; the simplest new example is an Abelian fermionic topological order containing a single Z2 Abelian anyon of spin 1/8. Each theory can be realized as the gapped boundary of a (3+1)D fermionic symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phase protected by the Z2 one-form symmetry, which acquires a Z16 classification once the spacetime spin structure is twisted by the one-form symmetry. We realize these phases microscopically via lattice models built from Walker-Wang models coupled to local fermions.
We present the correspondence between symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases and their anomalous boundary states, based on examples in various spacetime dimensions. Through the study of the effect of interactions on these SPT phases, we discovered a new formalism of quantum anomalies, associated with discrete spacetime (such as time-reversal and spatial reflection) symmetries in particular, to classify distinct interacting topological phases. An example is the Z2 classification of the (2+1)d topological insulator protected by charge U(1) and time-reversal (or CP) symmetries, which can be deduced by the form of the global U(1) gauge anomalies on its edge theories defined on closed unorientable manifolds. In this case, the nontrivial phase (in free systems) is robust against electron interactions. Another example is the (3+1)d topological superconductor protected by only time-reversal or reflection symmetry. For this system, we identified the bulk phase by studying the global gravitational anomalies of the surface theories formulated on unorientable spacetime manifolds, and also discussed its connection to the collapse of the non-interacting classification by an integer Z to Z16, in the presence of interactions. We also revisit the problem of gauging a discrete internal symmetry in theories of chiral (Weyl) fermions in 3+1 dimensions – which have not been fully understood so far – from the perspective of fermionic SPT phases in 4+1 dimensions. Comparing with the previous results, we give a complete answer for the anomalies constraints on the discrete symmetry, as our approach is based on purely geometrical considerations, namely, our assumption is more fundamental and general. Furthermore, our result also provides an understanding of gapped states of fermions with anomalous discrete symmetries, and we present a model, based on weak coupling, for constructing these anomalous gapped states.