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arXiv:2507.18919 · Physical review. B./Physical review. B

Evaluation of the real-space second Chern number using the kernel polynomial method

Rui Chen, Bin Zhou

Published Sep 30, 2025• 3 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We evaluate the real-space second Chern number of four-dimensional Chern insulators using the kernel polynomial method. Our calculations are performed on a four-dimensional system with ${30}^{4}$ sites, and the numerical results agree well with theoretical expectations. Moreover, we show that the method is capable of capturing the disorder effects. This is evidenced by the phase diagram obtained for disordered systems, which agrees well with predictions from the self-consistent Born approximation. Furthermore, we extend the method to six dimensions and perform an exploratory real-space calculation of the third Chern number. Although finite-size effects prevent full quantization, the numerical results show qualitative agreement with theoretical expectations. The study represents a step forward in the real-space characterization of higher-dimensional topological phases.

DOI
10.1103/yksf-1l8m

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We evaluate the real-space second Chern number of four-dimensional Chern insulators using the kernel polynomial method. Our calculations are performed on a four-dimensional system with 304{30}^{4}304 sites, and the numerical results agree well with theoretical expectations. Moreover, we show that the method is capable of capturing the disorder effects. This is evidenced by the phase diagram obtained for disordered systems, which agrees well with predictions from the self-consistent Born approximation. Furthermore, we extend the method to six dimensions and perform an exploratory real-space calculation of the third Chern number. Although finite-size effects prevent full quantization, the numerical results show qualitative agreement with theoretical expectations. The study represents a step forward in the real-space characterization of higher-dimensional topological phases.
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We extend Kitaev's real-space formulation of the first Chern number to the second Chern number and establish a computational framework for its evaluation. To test its validity, we apply the derived formula to the disordered Wilson-Dirac model and analyze its ability to capture topological properties in the presence of disorder. Our results demonstrate that the real-space approach provides a viable method for characterizing higher-dimensional topological phases beyond momentum-space formulations.
We report a study of a disorder-dependent real-space representation of the quantum geometry in topological systems. Thanks to the development of an efficient linear-scaling numerical methodology based on the kernel polynomial method, we can explore nontrivial behavior of the integrated quantum metric and Chern number in disordered systems with sizes reaching the experimental scale. We illustrate this approach in the disordered Haldane model, examining the impact of Anderson disorder and vacancies on the trivial and topological phases captured by this model.
We rewrite a lattice model of the four-dimensional Chern insulator as a family of translationally-invariant infinite chains over the three-dimensional Brillouin zone and compute its higher three-form Berry curvature using infinite matrix product states (iMPS). We calculate the topological phase diagram of the associated Dixmier--Douady--Kapustin--Spodyneiko (DDKS) number as a function of the model's mass term, and show that it is exactly congruent to the phase diagram in terms of the second Chern number, the analytic expression of which is known for this particular model. This agreement demonstrates that higher Berry curvature can be used to compute second Chern numbers in a manifestly quantized manner. Motivated by the connection between the second Chern form and the Chern--Simons axion coupling, we study magnetoelectric coupling in three dimensions and its relation to higher Berry phases.
The atomic-scale influence of disorder on the topological order can be quantified by a universal topological marker, although the practical calculation of the marker becomes numerically very costly in higher dimensions. We propose that for any symmetry class in higher dimensions, the topological marker can be calculated in a very efficient way by adopting the kernel polynomial method. Using class AII in three dimensions as an example, which is relevant to realistic topological insulators like Bi2Se3 and Bi2Te3, this method reveals the criteria for the invariance of topological order in the presence of disorder, as well as the possibility of a smooth cross over between two topological phases caused by disorder. In addition, the significantly enlarged system size in the numerical calculation implies that this method is capable of capturing the quantum criticality much closer to topological phase transitions, as demonstrated by a nonlocal topological marker.
Abstract Topological insulators are exotic material that possess conducting surface states protected by the topology of the system. They can be classified in terms of their properties under discrete symmetries and are characterized by topological invariants. The latter has been measured experimentally for several models in one, two and three dimensions in both condensed matter and quantum simulation platforms. The recent progress in quantum simulation opens the road to the simulation of higher dimensional Hamiltonians and in particular of the 4D quantum Hall effect. These systems are characterized by the second Chern number, a topological invariant that appears in the quantization of the transverse conductivity for the non-linear response to both external magnetic and electric fields. This quantity cannot always be computed analytically and there is therefore a need of an algorithm to compute it numerically. In this work, we propose an efficient algorithm to compute the second Chern number in 4D systems. We construct the algorithm with the help of lattice gauge theory and discuss the convergence to the continuous gauge theory. We benchmark the algorithm on several relevant models, including the 4D Dirac Hamiltonian and the 4D quantum Hall effect and verify numerically its rapid convergence.