Exact mapping between classical and topological orders in two-dimensional spin systems

Abstract

Motivated by the duality between site-centered spin and bond-centered spin in one-dimensional system, which connects two different constructions of fermions from the same set of Majorana fermions, we show that two-dimensional models with topological orders can be constructed from certain well-known models with classical orders characterized by symmetry breaking. Topology-dependent ground state degeneracy, vanishing two-point correlation functions, and unpaired Majorana fermions on boundaries emerge naturally from such construction. The approach opens a different way to construct and characterize topological orders.