Topological Sectors Research Articles

Dense matter equation of state and phase transitions from a generalized Skyrme model

Skyrmion crystals are the field configurations which minimize the energy per baryon in the infinitely large topological charge sector of the Skyrme model, at least for sufficiently high density. They are, therefore, an important tool to describe the ground state of cold, symmetric nuclear matter at high density regimes. In this work, we analyze different crystalline phases and the existence of phase transitions between them within the generalized Skyrme model, with the ultimate goal of describing symmetric nuclear matter in a wide regime of densities. Furthermore, we propose a new energy-minimizing phase for densities lower than the nuclear saturation point (${n}_{0}$) that also presents a good qualitative behavior in the zero density limit, thereby improving the description of strongly interacting matter in the region $n<{n}_{0}$.

New class of solutions in the non-minimal O(3)-sigma model

For the study of topological vortices with non-minimal coupling, we built a kind of non-canonical O(3)-sigma model, with a Maxwell term modified by a dielectric function. Through the BPS formalism an investigation is made on possible configurations of vortices in topological sectors of the sigma model and the real scalar field. For a particular ansatz, the solutions of the topological sector of the real scalar field are described by the known kink solutions. On the other hand, when studying the vortices in non-minimal sector of the pure O(3)-sigma model, it is detected the emergence of solutions that generate solitary waves similar to structures derived from a KdV-like theory. We observed that in the study of mixed models, namely, the topological sector of the O(3)-sigma model coupled to the topological sector of the real scalar field, the vortex solutions assume a profile of a step function. Then, when kinks of the topological sector of the scalar field are interacting with the field of the sigma model, it makes the field solutions of the O(3)-sigma model become extremely localized, making the vortice structures non-physical.

Coexistence of non-Abelian chiral spin liquid and magnetic order in a spin-1 antiferromagnet

We study the ground-state properties of a spin-1 Heisenberg model on a square lattice with the first- and second-nearest-neighbor antiferromagnetic couplings $J_1$ and $J_2$ and a three-spin scalar chirality term $J_\chi$. Using the density matrix renormalization group calculation, we map out a global phase diagram including various magnetic order phases and an emergent quantum spin liquid phase. The nature of the spin liquid is identified as a bosonic non-Abelian Moore-Read state from the fingerprint of the entanglement spectra and identification of a full set of topological sectors. We further unveil a stripe magnetic order coexisting with this spin liquid. Our results not only establish a rare example of non-Abelian spin liquids in simple spin systems but also demonstrate the coexistence of fractionalized excitations and magnetic order beyond mean-field descriptions.

Universal Deformations

QFTs with local topological operators feature unusual sectors called ``universes,'' which are separated by infinite-tension domain walls. We show that such systems have relevant deformations with exactly-calculable effects. These deformations allow one to dial the vacuum energy densities of the universes. We describe applications of these deformations to confinement in 2d gauge theories, as well as a curious violation of the effective field theory naturalness principle.

Topological structures in a noncanonical perturbative dynamic of a cuscutonlike model

In this work, a possible description for quantum dynamics of the cuscuton within the sigma-model approach is presented. Lower order perturbative corrections and the structure of divergences are found. Motivated by the results generated by the perturbative approach, we investigate the existence of topological structures in the cuscuton-like model. The structures we study are, first, kink-like configurations in two dimensional spacetime, second, vortex solutions in three dimensional one with gauge field ruled by the Maxwell term. In fact, to show the existence of kink solutions it is needed to introduce a standard dynamics term in the cuscuton-like model. Then, a numerical approach (interpolation method) is used and the solution of the scalar field is presented. On the other hand, for the study of topological vortices, we reorganized the energy density to obtain, for convenience, equations similar to those canonical vortex structures, namely, the Maxwell-Higgs model. In fact, even for this particular case, we observed the existence of structures with localized energy and quantized magnetic flux in a given topological sector. We also show that when the model does not spontaneously break the symmetry, the $(2+1)D$ model only admits the so-called non-topological field solutions.

Chiral conformal field theory for topological states and the anyon eigenbasis on the torus

Model wave functions constructed from (1+1)D conformal field theory (CFT) have played a vital role in studying chiral topologically ordered systems. There usually exist multiple degenerate ground states when such states are placed on the torus. The common practice for dealing with this degeneracy within the CFT framework is to take a full correlator on the torus, which includes both holomorphic and antiholomorphic sectors, and decompose it into several conformal blocks. In this paper, we propose a pure chiral approach for the torus wave function construction. By utilizing the operator formalism, the wave functions are written as chiral correlators of holormorphic fields restricted to each individual topological sector. This method is not only conceptually much simpler, but also automatically provides us the anyon eigenbasis of the degenerate ground states (also known as the “minimally entangled states”). As concrete examples, we construct the full set of degenerate ground states for SO(n)1 and SU(n)1 chiral spin liquids on the torus, the former of which provide a complete wave function realization of Kitaev's sixteenfold way of anyon theories. We further characterize their topological orders by analytically computing the associated modular S and T matrices.

Biskyrmion fractionalization in frustrated ferromagnetic nanotracks

A stable fusion of two skyrmions is called biskyrmion, which has a topological charge equal to 2. Here, we investigate this object with two cores in frustrated ferromagnetic racetracks. Biskyrmion dynamics induced by a spin-polarized current is analyzed, and the biskyrmion Hall effect is compared with the usual skyrmion Hall effect. We also study the chance of biskyrmion fractionalization in a single skyrmion, a phenomenon that reduces the topological charge of the system by one-half. From the topological perspective, a change in the topological sector is a drastic phenomenon allowed only in discrete lattices. In general, such a change leads to the total annihilation of the topological structure. Here, we show that the biskyrmion splits into a skyrmion and a burst of spin waves (emerging from the destroyed skyrmion). Such dissociation is possible by impelling the biskyrmion against a peculiar hole-defect, which must be able to destroy only one skyrmion, also impeding that the generated spin waves strike the other skyrmion. Our results suggest practical ways to manipulate the shape and chirality of spin textures via lattice defects, which can be intentionally inserted in magnetic thin films.

QFT entanglement entropy, 2D fermion and gauge fields

Entanglement and the Rényi entropies for Dirac fermions on 2 dimensional torus in the presence of chemical potential, current source, and topological Wilson loop are unified in a single framework by exhausting all the ingredients of the electromagnetic vertex operators of Zn orbifold conformal field theory. We employ different normalizations for different topological sectors to organize various topological phase transitions in the context of entanglement entropy. Pictorial representations for the topological transitions are given for the n=2 Rényi entropy.Our analytic computations reveal numerous novelties and provide resolutions for existing issues. We have settled to provide non-singular entanglement entropies that are also continuous across the topological sectors. Surprisingly, in infinite space, these entropies become exact and depend only on the Wilson loop. On a circle, we resolve to find the entropies subtly depend on the chemical potential at zero temperature, which is useful for probing the ground state energy levels of quantum systems.

Impurity-like solutions in vortex systems coupled to a neutral field

In this work, a Maxwell-Higgs system is coupled to a neutral scalar field that engenders Z2 symmetry. At critical coupling, the resulting field equations may be identified with those of a Maxwell-Higgs model doped with an impurity whose form changes according to properties of the neutral scalar field, such as the topological sector and position of its zeros. This allows for an interpretation of parameters appearing in impurity models in terms of properties of the kink-like defect, and provides a convenient way to understand and generate impurities. By solving the first order equations, we found vortices with a novel internal structure in relation to standard solutions. The procedure was also adapted to generate impurities for Chern-Simons-Higgs theory.

Homotopy data as part of the lattice field: A first study

Fields exhibit a variety of topological properties, like different topological charges, when field space in the continuum is composed by more than one topological sector. Lattice treatments usually encounter difficulties describing those properties. In this work, we show that by augmenting the usual lattice fields to include extra variables describing local topological information (more precisely, regarding homotopy), the topology of the space of fields in the continuum is faithfully reproduced in the lattice. We apply this extended lattice formulation to some simple models with nontrivial topological charges, and we study their properties both analytically and via Monte Carlo simulations.

Abelian SU(N)1 chiral spin liquids on the square lattice

In the physics of the fractional quantum Hall (FQH) effect, a zoo of Abelian topological phases can be obtained by varying the magnetic field. Aiming to reach the same phenomenology in spin like systems, we propose a family of $\mathrm{SU}(N)$-symmetric models in the fundamental representation, on the square lattice with short-range interactions restricted to triangular units, a natural generalization for arbitrary $N$ of an SU(3) model studied previously where time-reversal symmetry is broken explicitly. Guided by the recent discovery of ${\mathrm{SU}(2)}_{1}$ and ${\mathrm{SU}(3)}_{1}$ chiral spin liquids (CSL) on similar models we search for topological $\mathrm{SU}({N)}_{1}$ CSL in some range of the Hamiltonian parameters via a combination of complementary numerical methods such as exact diagonalizations (ED), infinite density matrix renormalization group (iDMRG) and infinite Projected Entangled Pair State (iPEPS). Extensive ED on small (periodic and open) clusters up to $N=10$ and an innovative $\mathrm{SU}(N)$-symmetric version of iDMRG to compute entanglement spectra on (infinitely long) cylinders in all topological sectors provide unambiguous signatures of the $\mathrm{SU}({N)}_{1}$ character of the chiral liquids. An SU(4)-symmetric chiral PEPS, constructed in a manner similar to its SU(2) and SU(3) analogs, is shown to give a good variational ansatz of the $N=4$ ground state, with chiral edge modes originating from the PEPS holographic bulk-edge correspondence. Finally, we discuss the possible observation of such Abelian CSL in ultracold atom setups where the possibility of varying $N$ provides a tuning parameter similar to the magnetic field in the physics of the FQH effect.

The Berry Phase and Topological Sectors

The Berry Phase and Topological Sectors

Exotic final states in the varphi ^8 multi-kink collisions

We study final states in the scattering of kinks and antikinks of the varphi ^8 field-theoretic model. We use the initial conditions in the form of two, three or four static or moving kinks. In the numerical experiments we observe a number of different processes such as emergence of static and moving oscillons, change of the kink’s topological sector, scattering of an oscillon by a kink, production of kink–antikink pairs in oscillon–oscillon collisions. In antikink–kink collisions for asymmetric kinks, we found resonance phenomena – escape windows.

On the chiral anomaly and the Yang–Mills gradient flow

There are currently two singularity-free universal expressions for the topological susceptibility in QCD, one based on the Yang–Mills gradient flow and the other on density-chain correlation functions. While the latter link the susceptibility to the anomalous chiral Ward identities, the gradient flow permits the emergence of the topological sectors in lattice QCD to be understood. Here the two expressions are shown to coincide in the continuum theory, for any number of quark flavours in the range where the theory is asymptotically free.

The strong CP problem, general covariance, and horizons

We discuss the strong CP problem in the context of quantum field theory in the presence of horizons. We argue that general covariance places constraints on the topological structure of the theory. In particular, it means that coherence between different topological sectors must have no observable consequence, because the degrees of freedom beyond a causal horizon must be traced over for general covariance to apply. Since the only way for this to occur in QCD is for θ = 0, this might lead to a solution of the strong CP problem without extra observable dynamics.

Topological sampling through windings

We propose a modification of the Hybrid Monte Carlo (HMC) algorithm that overcomes the topological freezing of a two-dimensional U(1) gauge theory with and without fermion content. This algorithm includes reversible jumps between topological sectors – winding steps – combined with standard HMC steps. The full algorithm is referred to as winding HMC (wHMC), and it shows an improved behaviour of the autocorrelation time towards the continuum limit. We find excellent agreement between the wHMC estimates of the plaquette and topological susceptibility and the analytical predictions in the U(1) pure gauge theory, which are known even at finite beta . We also study the expectation values in fixed topological sectors using both HMC and wHMC, with and without fermions. Even when topology is frozen in HMC – leading to significant deviations in topological as well as non-topological quantities – the two algorithms agree on the fixed-topology averages. Finally, we briefly compare the wHMC algorithm results to those obtained with master-field simulations of size Lsim 8 times 10^3.

Disentangling (2+1)D topological states of matter with entanglement negativity

We use the entanglement negativity, a bipartite measure of entanglement in mixed quantum states, to study how multipartite entanglement constrains the real-space structure of the ground state wavefunctions of $(2+1)$-dimensional topological phases. We focus on the (Abelian) Laughlin and (non-Abelian) Moore-Read states at filling fraction $\nu=1/m$. We show that a combination of entanglement negativities, calculated with respect to specific cylinder and torus geometries, determines a necessary condition for when a topological state can be disentangled, i.e., factorized into a tensor product of states defined on cylinder subregions. This condition, which requires the ground state to lie in a definite topological sector, is sufficient for the Laughlin state. On the other hand, we find that a general Moore-Read ground state cannot be disentangled even when the disentangling condition holds.

Superconformal Line Defects in 3D

We review the recent progress in the study of line defects in three-dimensional Chern–Simons-matter superconformal field theories, notably the ABJM theory. The first part is focused on kinematical defects, supporting a topological sector of the theory. After reviewing the construction of this sector, we concentrate on the evaluation of topological correlators from the partition function of the mass-deformed ABJM theory and provide evidence on the existence of topological quantum mechanics living on the line. In the second part, we consider the dynamical defects realized as latitude BPS Wilson loops for which an exact evaluation is available in terms of a latitude Matrix Model. We discuss the fundamental relation between these operators, the defect superconformal field theory and bulk physical quantities, such as the Bremsstrahlung function. This relation assigns a privileged role to BPS Wilson operators, which become the meeting point for three exact approaches: localization, integrability and conformal bootstrap.

Consequences of the order of the limit of infinite spacetime volume and the sum over topological sectors for CP violation in the strong interactions

We derive correlation functions for massive fermions with a complex mass in the presence of a general vacuum angle. For this purpose, we first build the Green's functions in the one-instanton background and then sum over the configurations of background instantons. The quantization of topological sectors follows for saddle points of finite Euclidean action in an infinite spacetime volume and the fluctuations about these. For the resulting correlation functions, we therefore take the infinite-volume limit before summing over topological sectors. In contrast to the opposite order of limits, the chiral phases from the mass terms and from the instanton effects then are aligned so that, in absence of additional phases, these do not give rise to observables violating charge-parity symmetry. This result is confirmed when constraining the correlations at coincident points by using the index theorem instead of instanton calculus.

Vacuum polarization energy of the kinks in the sinh-deformed models

We compute the one-loop quantum corrections to the kink energies of the sinh-deformed $\phi^{4}$ and $\varphi^{6}$ models in one space and one time dimensions. These models are constructed from the well-known polynomial $\phi^{4}$ and $\varphi^{6}$ models by a deformation procedure. We also compute the vacuum polarization energy to the non-polynomial function $U(\phi)=\frac{1}{4}(1-\sinh^{2}\phi)^{2}$. This potential approaches the $\phi^{4}$ model in the limit of small values of the scalar function. These energies are extracted from scattering data for fluctuations about the kink solutions. We show that for certain topological sectors with nonequivalent vacua the kink solutions of the sinh-deformed models are destabilized.