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arXiv:2102.02203

Boundary States and Anomalous Symmetries of Fermionic Minimal Models

Philip Boyle Smith

Published Feb 3, 2021• 10 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The fermionic minimal models are a recently-introduced family of two-dimensional spin conformal field theories. We determine all of their conformal boundary states and potentially anomalous $\mathbb{Z}_2$ global symmetries. The latter task hinges upon on a conjecture about $\mathfrak{su}(2)$ affine parities generalising an earlier result known to have an interpretation in terms of Fermat curves. Our results indicate a close connection between several properties of the models, including the matching of the sizes of the SPT classes of boundary states, the existence of anomalous $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetries, and the vanishing of the Ramond-Ramond sector, for which we provide an explanation.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2102.02203

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The fermionic minimal models are a recently-introduced family of two-dimensional spin conformal field theories. We determine all of their conformal boundary states and potentially anomalous Z2\mathbb{Z}_2Z2​ global symmetries. The latter task hinges upon on a conjecture about su(2)\mathfrak{su}(2)su(2) affine parities generalising an earlier result known to have an interpretation in terms of Fermat curves. Our results indicate a close connection between several properties of the models, including the matching of the sizes of the SPT classes of boundary states, the existence of anomalous Z2\mathbb{Z}_2Z2​ symmetries, and the vanishing of the Ramond-Ramond sector, for which we provide an explanation.
We study a relationship between conformally invariant boundary conditions and anomalies of conformal field theories (CFTs) in 1+11+11+1 dimensions. For a given CFT with a global symmetry, we consider symmetric ``gapping potentials'', which are relevant perturbations to the CFT. If a gapping potential is introduced only in a subregion of the system, it provides a certain boundary condition to the CFT. From this equivalence, if there exists a Cardy boundary state, which is invariant under a symmetry, then the CFT can be gapped with a unique ground state by adding the corresponding gapping potential. This means that the symmetry of the CFT is anomaly free. Using this approach, we systematically deduce the anomaly-free conditions for various types of CFTs with several different symmetries. They include the free compact boson theory, Wess-Zumino-Witten models, and unitary minimal models. When the symmetry of the CFT is anomalous, it implies a Lieb-Schultz-Mattis type ingappability of the system. Our results are consistent with, where available, known results in the literature. Moreover, we extend the discussion to other symmetries including spin groups and generalized time-reversal symmetries.
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.
A bstract Entanglement is analyzed in the Majorana fermion conformal field theory (CFT) in the vacuum, in the fermion state, and in states built from conformal interfaces. In the boundary-state approach, the Hilbert space admits two factorizations for a single interval, producing distinct entanglement spectra determined by spin structures. Although Rényi and relative entropies are shown to be insensitive to these structures, symmetry-resolved entanglement naturally reveals their differences. The Majorana fermion’s Z2F {\mathbb{Z}}_2^F Z2F​ ℤ 2 F symmetry, generated by the fermion-parity operator (−1) F , distinguishes bosonic from fermionic sectors, motivating the notion of fermion-parity resolution. While Z2F {\mathbb{Z}}_2^F Z2F​ ℤ 2 F is naturally a symmetry of the vacuum and fermion reduced density matrices, the Hilbert space factorization is shown to stabilize this symmetry in conformal interface states. When an unpaired Majorana zero mode is present, fermion-parity-resolved entropies display equipartition at all orders in the UV cutoff; in its absence, the breaking of equipartition is quantified by Ramond-sector data. This behavior persists across all states considered. Connections with symmetry-protected topological phases of matter are outlined. All results are compared with twist field computations.
The classification and construction of symmetry protected topological (SPT) phases have been intensively studied in interacting systems recently. To our surprise, in interacting fermion systems, there exists a new class of the so-called anomalous SPT (ASPT) states which are only well defined on the boundary of a trivial fermionic bulk system. We first demonstrate the essential idea by considering an anomalous topological superconductor with time-reversal symmetry T^{2}=1 in 2D. The physical reason for this is that the fermion parity might be changed locally by certain symmetry action, but it is conserved if we introduce a bulk. Then we discuss the layer structure and systematical construction of ASPT states in interacting fermion systems in 2D with a total symmetry G_{f}=G_{b}×Z_{2}^{f}. Finally, potential experimental realizations of ASPT states are also addressed.
We propose a diagnostic tool for detecting nontrivial symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases protected by a symmetry group GGG in 2+12+12+1 dimensions. Our method is based on directly studying the 1+11+11+1-dimensional anomalous edge conformal field theory (CFT) of SPT phases. We claim that if the CFT is the edge theory of an SPT phase, then there must be an obstruction to cutting it open. This obstruction manifests as the in-existence of boundary states in the CFT that preserves both the conformal symmetry and the global symmetry GGG. We discuss the relation between edgeability, i.e., the ability to find a consistent boundary state, and gappability, i.e., the ability to gap out a CFT, in the presence of GGG. We study several cases including time-reversal symmetric topological insulators, ZN{\mathbb{Z}}_{N}ZN​ symmetric bosonic SPT phases, and ${\mathbb{Z}}_{2}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}$ symmetric topological superconductors.
In this Letter we continue the investigation of RG flows between Virasoro minimal models of two-dimensional conformal field theories that are protected by noninvertible symmetries. RG flows leaving unbroken a subcategory of noninvertible symmetries are associated with anomaly matching conditions that we employ systematically to map the space of flows between minimal models beyond the Z_{2}-symmetric proposed recently in the literature. We introduce a family of nonlinear integral equations that appear to encode the exact finite-size, ground-state energies of these flows, including nonintegrable cases, such as the recently proposed M(kq+I,q)→M(kq-I,q). Our family of NLIEs encompasses and generalizes the integrable flows known in the literature: ϕ_{(1,3)}, ϕ_{(1,5)}, ϕ_{(1,2)} and ϕ_{(2,1)}. This work uncovers a new interplay between exact solvability and noninvertible symmetries. Furthermore, our nonperturbative description provides a nontrivial test for all the flows conjectured by anomaly matching conditions, but so far not observed by other means.