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arXiv:2005.06572 · Chinese Physics Letters

Computing Classification of Interacting Fermionic Symmetry-Protected Topological Phases Using Topological Invariants*

Yunqing Ouyang, Qing-Rui Wang, Zheng‐Cheng Gu, Yang Qi

Published Dec 1, 2021• 11 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

In recent years, great success has been achieved on the classification of symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases for interacting fermion systems by using generalized cohomology theory. However, the explicit calculation of generalized cohomology theory is extremely hard due to the difficulty of computing obstruction functions. Based on the physical picture of topological invariants and mathematical techniques in homotopy algebra, we develop an algorithm to resolve this hard problem. It is well known that cochains in the cohomology of the symmetry group, which are used to enumerate the SPT phases, can be expressed equivalently in different linear bases, known as the resolutions. By expressing the cochains in a reduced resolution containing much fewer basis than the choice commonly used in previous studies, the computational cost is drastically reduced. In particular, it reduces the computational cost for infinite discrete symmetry groups, like the wallpaper groups and space groups, from infinity to finity. As examples, we compute the classification of two-dimensional interacting fermionic SPT phases, for all 17 wallpaper symmetry groups.

DOI
10.1088/0256-307x/38/12/127101

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In recent years, great success has been achieved on the classification of symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases for interacting fermion systems by using generalized cohomology theory. However, the explicit calculation of generalized cohomology theory is extremely hard due to the difficulty of computing obstruction functions. Based on the physical picture of topological invariants and mathematical techniques in homotopy algebra, we develop an algorithm to resolve this hard problem. It is well known that cochains in the cohomology of the symmetry group, which are used to enumerate the SPT phases, can be expressed equivalently in different linear bases, known as the resolutions. By expressing the cochains in a reduced resolution containing much fewer basis than the choice commonly used in previous studies, the computational cost is drastically reduced. In particular, it reduces the computational cost for infinite discrete symmetry groups, like the wallpaper groups and space groups, from infinity to finity. As examples, we compute the classification of two-dimensional interacting fermionic SPT phases, for all 17 wallpaper symmetry groups.
The construction and classification of symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases in interacting bosonic and fermionic systems have been intensively studied in the past few years. Very recently, a complete classification and construction of space-group SPT phases were also proposed for interacting bosonic systems. In this Rapid Communication, we attempt to generalize this classification and construction scheme systematically into interacting fermion systems. In particular, we construct and classify point-group SPT phases for two-dimensional (2D) interacting fermion systems via lower-dimensional block-state decorations. We discover several intriguing fermionic SPT states that can only be realized in interacting fermion systems (i.e., not in free-fermion or bosonic SPT systems). Moreover, we also verify the recently conjectured crystalline equivalence principle for 2D interacting fermion systems. Finally, the potential experimental realization of these different classes of point-group SPT phases in 2D correlated superconductors is addressed.
Recently, it has been shown that two-dimensional bosonic symmetry-protected topological(SPT) phases with on-site unitary symmetry GGG can be completely classified by the group cohomology class H3(G,U(1))H^3(G, \mathrm{U}(1))H3(G,U(1)). Later, group super-cohomology class was proposed as a partial classification for SPT phases of interacting fermions. In this work, we revisit this problem based on the mathematical framework of GGG-extension of unitary braided tensor category(UBTC) theory. We first reproduce the partial classifications given by group super-cohomology, then we show that with an additional H1(G,Z2)H^1(G, \mathbb{Z}_2)H1(G,Z2​) structure, a complete classification of SPT phases for two-dimensional interacting fermion systems for a total symmetry group G×Z2fG\times\mathbb{Z}_2^fG×Z2f​ can be achieved. We also discuss the classification of interacting fermionic SPT phases protected by time-reversal symmetry.
Symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases are gapped short-range-entangled quantum phases with a symmetry GGG, 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{T}^{2}=1T2=1 time-reversal Z2T{Z}_{2}^{T}Z2T​ and fermion-number-parity Z2f{Z}_{2}^{f}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 KKK-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=1c=1c=1 gapless edge excitations, if the symmetry is not broken.
According to a recent theoretical conjecture for a classification of symmetry protected topological (SPT) phases which can arise in a collection of lattice boson models called group cohomology models, each model belongs to a distinct SPT phase, and each SPT phase can be realized by a model. Here the authors show that for SPT phases with symmetry groups that are finite, Abelian, and unitary, each group cohomology model can be characterized by a unique set of topological invariants and therefore belongs to a distinct SPT phase. In two dimensions it is further shown that the complete set of group cohomology models accounts for all SPT phases, while in three dimensions evidence pointing toward such a proof is found.
The classification and lattice model construction of symmetry protected topological (SPT) phases in interacting fermion systems are very interesting but challenging. In this paper, we give a systematic fixed point wave function construction of fermionic SPT (FSPT) states for generic fermionic symmetry group Gf=Z2f×ω2GbG_f=\mathbb{Z}_2^f \times_{\omega_2} G_bGf​=Z2f​×ω2​​Gb​ which is a central extension of bosonic symmetry group GbG_bGb​ (may contain time reversal symmetry) by the fermion parity symmetry group Z2f={1,Pf}\mathbb{Z}_2^f = \{1,P_f\}Z2f​={1,Pf​}. Our construction is based on the concept of equivalence class of finite depth fermionic symmetric local unitary (FSLU) transformations and decorating symmetry domain wall picture, subjected to certain obstructions. We will also discuss the systematical construction and classification of boundary anomalous SPT (ASPT) states which leads to a trivialization of the corresponding bulk FSPT states. Thus, we conjecture that the obstruction-free and trivialization-free constructions naturally lead to a classification of FSPT phases. Each fixed-point wave function admits an exactly solvable commuting-projector Hamiltonian. We believe that our classification scheme can be generalized to point/space group symmetry as well as continuum Lie group symmetry.
Symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases are bulk-gapped quantum phases with symmetries, which have gapless or degenerate boundary states as long as the symmetries are not broken. The SPT phases in free fermion systems, such as topological insulators, can be classified; however, it is not known what SPT phases exist in general interacting systems. We present a systematic way to construct SPT phases in interacting bosonic systems. Just as group theory allows us to construct 230 crystal structures in three-dimensional space, we use group cohomology theory to systematically construct different interacting bosonic SPT phases in any dimension and with any symmetry, leading to the discovery of bosonic topological insulators and superconductors.