We study generalizations of the Berry phase for quantum lattice systems in arbitrary dimensions. For a smooth family of gapped ground states in d dimensions, we define a closed (d+2)-form on the parameter space which generalizes the curvature of the Berry connection. Its cohomology class is a topological invariant of the family. When the family is equivariant under the action of a compact Lie group G, topological invariants take values in the equivariant cohomology of the parameter space. These invariants unify and generalize the Hall conductance and the Thouless pump. A key role in these constructions is played by a certain differential graded Frechet-Lie algebra attached to any quantum lattice system. As a by-product, we describe ambiguities in charge densities and conserved currents for arbitrary lattice systems with rapidly decaying interactions.
One-dimensional gapped spin chains with symmetry PSU(N) = SU(N)/Z_N are known to possess N different topological phases. In this paper, we introduce a non-local string order parameter which characterizes each of these N phases unambiguously. Numerics confirm that our order parameter allows to extract a quantized topological invariant from a given non-degenerate gapped ground state wave function. Discontinuous jumps in the discrete topological order that arise when varying physical couplings in the Hamiltonian may be used to detect quantum phase transitions between different topological phases.
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 $ω$ 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 $ω$. Remarkably, ratios of correlation lengths are universal. In the critical phases, the scaling dime…
Gapped domain walls, as topological line defects between 2+1D topologically ordered states, are examined. We provide simple criteria to determine the existence of gapped domain walls, which apply to both Abelian and non-Abelian topological orders. Our criteria also determine which 2+1D topological orders must have gapless edge modes, namely which 1+1D global gravitational anomalies ensure gaplessness. Furthermore, we introduce a new mathematical object, the tunneling matrix $\mathcal W$, whose entries are the fusion-space dimensions $\mathcal W_{ia}$, to label different types of gapped domain …
This Letter discusses topological quantum computation with gapped boundaries of two-dimensional topological phases. Systematic methods are presented to encode quantum information topologically using gapped boundaries, and to perform topologically protected operations on this encoding. In particular, we introduce a new and general computational primitive of topological charge measurement and present a symmetry-protected implementation of this primitive. Throughout the Letter, a concrete physical example, the $\mathbb{Z}_3$ toric code ($\mathfrak{D}(\mathbb{Z}_3)$), is discussed. For this exampl…
We present an exactly solvable lattice Hamiltonian to realize gapped boundaries of Kitaev's quantum double models for Dijkgraaf-Witten theories. We classify the elementary excitations on the boundary, and systematically describe the bulk-to-boundary condensation procedure. We also present the parallel algebraic/categorical structure of gapped boundaries.
We present a detailed path integral derivation of the topological response of gapped free fermions, in $2+1$ dimensions, to an external $\text{U}(1)$ Gauge field. The well-known Hall response is obtained by identifying the Chern-Simons term in the effective action with the correct coefficient. We extend the result to $2d+1$ dimensions in which the response is associated to a Chern-Simons term with a coefficient related to a characteristic class coming from topological band theory. We comment on the bulk-to-boundary principle which arises naturally when one considers the theory on a manifold wi…
We give a mathematical definition of a gapped domain wall between topological phases and a gapped boundary of a topological phase. We then provide answers to some recent questions studied by Lan, Wang and Wen in condensed matter physics based on works of Davydov, Müger, Nikshych and Ostrik. In particular, we identify their tunneling matrix and a coupling matrix of Rehren, and show that their conjecture does not hold.
We propose the concept of fermion condensation in bosonic topological orders in two spatial dimensions. Fermion condensation can be realized as gapped domain walls between bosonic and fermionic topological orders, which are thought of as a real-space phase transitions from bosonic to fermionic topological orders. This generalizes the previous idea of understanding boson condensation as gapped domain walls between bosonic topological orders. We show that generic fermion condensation obeys a Hierarchy Principle by which it can be decomposed into a boson condensation followed by a minimal fermion…
We study lattice Hamiltonian realisations of (3+1)d Dijkgraaf-Witten theory with gapped boundaries. In addition to the bulk loop-like excitations, the Hamiltonian yields bulk dyonic string-like excitations that terminate at gapped boundaries. Using a tube algebra approach, we classify such excitations and derive the corresponding representation theory. Via a dimensional reduction argument, we relate this tube algebra to that describing (2+1)d boundary point-like excitations at interfaces between two gapped boundaries. Such point-like excitations are well known to be encoded into a bicategory o…
In this letter, we report our systematic construction of the lattice Hamiltonian model of topological orders on open surfaces, with explicit boundary terms. We do this mainly for the Levin-Wen stringnet model. The full Hamiltonian in our approach yields a topologically protected, gapped energy spectrum, with the corresponding wave functions robust under topology-preserving transformations of the lattice of the system. We explicitly present the wavefunctions of the ground states and boundary elementary excitations. We construct the creation and hopping operators of boundary quasi-particles. We …
Defects between gapped boundaries provide a possible physical realization of projective non-abelian braid statistics. A notable example is the projective Majorana/parafermion braid statistics of boundary defects in fractional quantum Hall/topological insulator and superconductor heterostructures. In this paper, we develop general theories to analyze the topological properties and projective braiding of boundary defects of topological phases of matter in two spatial dimensions. We present commuting Hamiltonians to realize defects between gapped boundaries in any $(2+1)D$ untwisted Dijkgraaf-Wit…
A realistic material may possess defects, which often bring the material new properties that have practical applications. The boundary defects of a two-dimensional topologically ordered system are thought of as an alternative way of realizing topological quantum computation. To facilitate the study of such boundary defects, in this paper, we construct an exactly solvable Hamiltonian model of topological orders with gapped boundary junctions, where the boundary defects reside, by placing the Levin-Wen model on a disk, whose gapped boundary is separated into multiple segments by junctions. We fi…
We introduce a ${\mathbb Z}_2$-index for time reversal invariant Hamiltonians with unique gapped ground state on quantum spin chains. We show this is an invariant of a $C^1$-classification of gapped Hamiltonians.
In this paper we propose a Hamiltonian approach to gapped topological phases on an open surface with boundary. Our setting is an extension of the Levin-Wen model to a 2d graph on the open surface, whose boundary is part of the graph. We systematically construct a series of boundary Hamiltonians such that each of them, when combined with the usual Levin-Wen bulk Hamiltonian, gives rise to a gapped energy spectrum which is topologically protected; and the corresponding wave functions are robust under changes of the underlying graph that maintain the spatial topology of the system. We derive expl…
Topological phases of matter are usually realized in deconfined phases of gauge theories. In this context, confined phases with strongly fluctuating gauge fields seem to be irrelevant to the physics of topological phases. For example, the low-energy theory of the two-dimensional (2D) toric code model (i.e. the deconfined phase of $\mathbb{Z}_2$ gauge theory) is a $U(1)\times U(1)$ Chern-Simons theory in which gauge charges (i.e., $e$ and $m$ particles) are deconfined and the gauge fields are gapped, while the confined phase is topologically trivial. In this paper, we point out a new route to c…
We extend the twisted gauge theory model of topological orders in three spatial dimensions to the case where the three spaces have two dimensional boundaries. We achieve this by systematically constructing the boundary Hamiltonians that are compatible with the bulk Hamoltonian. Given the bulk Hamiltonian defined by a gauge group $G$ and a four-cocycle $ω$ in the fourth cohomology group of $G$ over $U(1)$, a boundary Hamiltonian can be defined by a subgroup $K$ of $G$ and a three-cochain $α$ in the third cochain group of $K$ over $U(1)$. The boundary Hamiltonian to be constructed must be gapped…
Gapped Boundaries of Kitaev's Quantum Double Models: A Lattice Realization of Anyon Condensation from Lagrangian Algebras
Shenzhen Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology（南方科技大学量子科学与工程研究院）；International Quantum Academy（国际量子学院）；Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology（南方科技大学广东省量子科学与工程重点实验室）；Hefei National Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China（中国科学技术大学合肥国家实验室）；Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and School of Physical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China（中国科学技术大学微尺度物质科学国家研究中心物理科学学院）
We generalize the Electric-magnetic (EM) duality in the quantum double (QD) models to the case of topological orders with gapped boundaries. We also map the QD models with boundaries to the Levin-Wen (LW) models with boundaries. To this end, we Fourier transform and rewrite the extended QD model with a finite gauge group $G$ on a trivalent lattice with a boundary. Gapped boundary conditions of the model before the transformation are known to be characterized by the subgroups $K \subseteq G$. We find that after the transformation, the boundary conditions are then characterized by the Frobenius …
We consider gravity in four dimensions in the vielbein formulation, where the fundamental variables are a tetrad $e$ and a SO(3,1) connection $ω$. We start with the most general action principle compatible with diffeomorphism invariance which includes, besides the standard Palatini term, other terms that either do not change the equations of motion, or are topological in nature. For our analysis we employ the covariant Hamiltonian formalism where the phase space $Γ$ is given by solutions to the equations of motion. We consider spacetimes that include a boundary at infinity, satisfying asymptot…
This is the first part of a two-part work on a unified mathematical theory of gapped and gapless edges of 2d topological orders. We analyze all the possible observables on the 1+1D world sheet of a chiral gapless edge of a 2d topological order, and show that these observables form an enriched unitary fusion category, the Drinfeld center of which is precisely the unitary modular tensor category associated to the bulk. This mathematical description of a chiral gapless edge automatically includes that of a gapped edge (i.e. a unitary fusion category) as a special case. Therefore, we obtain a unif…
The first and second Noether theorems are formulated in a general case of reducible degenerate Grassmann-graded Lagrangian theory of even and odd variables on graded bundles. Such Lagrangian theory is characterized by a hierarchy of non-trivial higher-stage Noether identities and the corresponding higher-stage gauge symmetries which are described in the homology terms. In these terms, the second Noether theorems associate to the Koszul - Tate chain complex of higher-stage Noether identities the gauge cochain sequence whose ascent operator provides higher-order gauge symmetries of Lagrangian th…
