Topological Sectors Research Articles

Dirac spectrum of one-flavor QCD atθ=0and continuity of the chiral condensate

We derive exact analytical expressions for the spectral density of the Dirac operator at fixed \theta-angle in the microscopic domain of one-flavor QCD. These results are obtained by performing the sum over topological sectors using novel identities involving sums of products of Bessel functions. Because the fermion determinant is not positive definite for negative quark mass, the usual Banks-Casher relation is not valid and has to be replaced by a different mechanism first observed for QCD at nonzero chemical potential. Using the exact results for the spectral density we explain how this mechanism results in a chiral condensate that remains constant when the quark mass changes sign.

Fermi-bounce cosmology and scale-invariant power spectrum

We develop a non-singular bouncing cosmology using a non-trivial coupling of general relativity to fermionic fields. The usual Big Bang singularity is avoided thanks to a negative energy density contribution from the fermions. Our theory is ghost-free since the fermionic operator that generates the bounce is equivalent to torsion, which has no kinetic terms. The physical system consists of standard general relativity plus a topological sector for gravity, and fermionic matter described by Dirac fields with a non-minimal coupling. We show that a scale invariant power-spectrum generated in the contracting phase can be recovered by suitable choices of fermion number density and bare mass, thus providing a possible alternative to the inflationary scenario.

Extracting hadron masses from fixed topology simulations

Lattice QCD simulations tend to become stuck in a single topological sector at fine lattice spacing or when using chirally symmetric overlap quarks. In such cases physical observables differ from their full QCD counterparts by finite volume corrections. These systematic errors need to be understood on a quantitative level and possibly removed. In this paper we extend an existing relation from the literature between two-point correlation functions at fixed and the corresponding hadron masses at unfixed topology by calculating all terms proportional to $1/{V}^{2}$ and $1/{V}^{3}$, where $V$ is the spacetime volume. Since parity is not a symmetry at fixed topology, parity mixing is comprehensively discussed. In the second part of this work we apply our equations to a simple model, quantum mechanics on a circle both for a free particle and for a square-well potential, where we demonstrate in detail, how to extract physically meaningful masses from computations or simulations at fixed topology.

Diffusion of topological charge in lattice QCD simulations

We study the autocorrelations of observables constructed from the topological charge density, such as the topological charge on a time slice or in a subvolume, using a series of hybrid Monte Carlo simulations of pure SU(3) gauge theory with both periodic and open boundary conditions. We show that the autocorrelation functions of these observables obey a simple diffusion equation and we measure the diffusion coefficient, finding that it scales like the square of the lattice spacing. We use this result and measurements of the rate of tunneling between topological charge sectors to calculate the scaling behavior of the autocorrelation times of these observables on periodic and open lattices. There is a characteristic lattice spacing at which open boundary conditions become worthwhile for reducing autocorrelations and we show how this lattice spacing is related to the diffusion coefficient, the tunneling rate, and the lattice Euclidean time extent.

Partition Functions of $${\mathcal{N}=(2,2)}$$ N = ( 2 , 2 ) Gauge Theories on S 2 and Vortices

We apply localization techniques to compute the partition function of a two-dimensional \({\mathcal{N}=(2,2)}\) R-symmetric theory of vector and chiral multiplets on S 2. The path integral reduces to a sum over topological sectors of a matrix integral over the Cartan subalgebra of the gauge group. For gauge theories which would be completely Higgsed in the presence of a Fayet–Iliopoulos term in flat space, the path integral alternatively reduces to the product of a vortex times an antivortex partition functions, weighted by semiclassical factors and summed over isolated points on the Higgs branch. For applications, we evaluate the partition function for some U(N) gauge theories, showing equality of the path integrals for theories conjectured to be dual by Hori and Tong and deriving new expressions for vortex partition functions.

Topological blocking in quantum quench dynamics

We study the non-equilibrium dynamics of quenching through a quantum critical point in topological systems, focusing on one of their defining features: ground state degeneracies and associated topological sectors. We present the notion of 'topological blocking', experienced by the dynamics due to a mismatch in degeneracies between two phases and we argue that the dynamic evolution of the quench depends strongly on the topological sector being probed. We demonstrate this interplay between quench and topology in models stemming from two extensively studied systems, the transverse Ising chain and the Kitaev honeycomb model. Through non-local maps of each of these systems, we effectively study spinless fermionic $p$-wave paired superconductors. Confining the systems to ring and toroidal geometries, respectively, enables us to cleanly address degeneracies, subtle issues of fermion occupation and parity, and mismatches between topological sectors. We show that various features of the quench, which are related to Kibble-Zurek physics, are sensitive to the topological sector being probed, in particular, the overlap between the time-evolved initial ground state and an appropriate low-energy state of the final Hamiltonian. While most of our study is confined to translationally invariant systems, where momentum is a convenient quantum number, we briefly consider the effect of disorder and illustrate how this can influence the quench in a qualitatively different way depending on the topological sector considered.

Quantum Criticality of Quasi-One-Dimensional Topological Anderson Insulators

We present an analytic theory of quantum criticality in the quasi-one-dimensional topological Anderson insulators of class AIII and BDI. We describe the systems in terms of two parameters ($g$, $\ensuremath{\chi}$) representing localization and topological properties, respectively. Surfaces of half-integer valued $\ensuremath{\chi}$ define phase boundaries between distinct topological sectors. Upon increasing system size, the two parameters exhibit flow similar to the celebrated two-parameter flow describing the class $A$ quantum Hall insulator. However, unlike the quantum Hall system, an exact analytical description of the entire phase diagram can be given. We check the quantitative validity of our theory by comparison to numerical transfer matrix computations.

Noncommuting Momenta of Topological Solitons

We show that momentum operators of a topological soliton may not commute among themselves when the soliton is associated with the second cohomology H2 of the target space. The commutation relation is proportional to the winding number, taking a constant value within each topological sector. The noncommutativity makes it impossible to specify the momentum of a topological soliton, and induces a Magnus force.

Singularity avoidance in classical gravity from four-fermion interaction

We derive the dynamics of the gravitational collapse of a homogeneous and spherically symmetric cloud in a classical set-up endowed with a topological sector of gravity and a non-minimal coupling to fermions. The effective theory consists of the Einstein–Hilbert action plus Dirac fermions interacting through a four-fermion vertex. At the classical level, we obtain the same picture that has been recently studied by some of us within a wide range of effective theories inspired by a super-renormalizable and asymptotically free theory of gravity. The classical singularity is replaced by a bounce, beyond which the cloud re-expands indefinitely. We thus show that, even at a classical level, if we allow for a non-minimal coupling of gravity to fermions, event horizons may never form for a suitable choice of some parameters of the theory.

Topology and criticality in the resonating Affleck-Kennedy-Lieb-Tasaki loop spin liquid states

We exploit a natural projected entangled-pair state (PEPS) representation for the resonating Affleck-Kennedy-Lieb-Tasaki loop (RAL) state. By taking advantage of PEPS-based analytical and numerical methods, we characterize the RAL states on various two-dimensional lattices. On square and honeycomb lattices, these states are critical since the dimer-dimer correlations decay as a power law. On the kagome lattice, the RAL state has exponentially decaying correlation functions, supporting the scenario of a gapped spin liquid. We provide further evidence that the RAL state on the kagome lattice is a ${\mathbb{Z}}_{2}$ spin liquid, by identifying the four topological sectors and computing the topological entropy. Furthermore, we construct a one-parameter family of PEPS states interpolating between the RAL state and a short-range resonating valence bond state and find a critical point, consistent with the fact that the two states belong to two different phases. We also perform a variational study of the spin-1 kagome Heisenberg model using this one-parameter PEPS.

Observation of topological structures in photonic quantum walks.

Phases of matter with nontrivial topological order are predicted to exhibit a variety of exotic phenomena, such as robust localized bound states in 1D systems, and edge states in 2D systems, which are expected to display spin helicity, immunity to backscattering, and weak antilocalization. In this Letter, we present an experimental observation of topological structures generated via the controlled implementation of two consecutive noncommuting rotations in photonic discrete-time quantum walks. The second rotation introduces valleylike Dirac points in the system, allowing us to create the nontrivial topological pattern. By choosing specific values for the rotations, it is possible to coherently drive the system between topological sectors characterized by different topological invariants. We probe the full topological landscape, demonstrating the emergence of localized bound states hosted at the topological boundaries, and the existence of extremely localized or delocalized non-Gaussian quantum states. Our results pave the way for the study of valley polarization and applications of topological mechanisms in robust optical-device engineering.

Inflaton as an auxiliary topological field in a QCD-like system

We propose a new scenario for early cosmology, where inflationary de Sitter phase dynamically occurs. The effect emerges as a result of dynamics of the topologically nontrivial sectors in expanding universe. Technically the effect can be described in terms of the auxiliary fields which effectively describe the dynamics of the topological sectors in a gauge theory. Inflaton in this framework is an auxiliary topological non-propagating field with no canonical kinetic term, similar to known topologically ordered phases in condensed matter systems. We explain many deep questions in this framework using the so-called weakly coupled "deformed QCD" toy model.While this theory is weakly coupled gauge theory, it preserves all the crucial elements of strongly interacting gauge theory, including confinement, nontrivial $\theta$ dependence, degeneracy of the topological sectors, etc. We discuss a specific realization of these ideas using a scaled up version of QCD, coined as \qcd, with the scale M_{PL}\gg \Lbar\gg \sqrt[3]{M_{EW}^2M_{PL}}\sim 10^8 {\mathrm{GeV}}. If no other fields are present in the system de Sitter phase will be the final destination of evolution of the universe. If other interactions are present in the system, the inflationary de Sitter phase lasts for a finite period of time. The inflation starts from the thermal equilibrium state long after the \qcd -confinement phase transition at temperature T_{i}\sim \Lbar\sqrt{\frac{\Lbar}{M_{PL}}}. The end of inflation is triggered by the coupling with gauge bosons from the Standard Model. The corresponding interaction is unambiguously fixed by the triangle anomaly. Number of e-folds in the \qcd-inflation framework is determined by the gauge coupling constant at the moment of inflation, and estimated as N_{\rm inf}\sim \alpha_s^{-2}\sim 10^2.

Interacting and fractional topological insulators via theZ2chiral anomaly

Recently it was shown that the topological properties of $2D$ and $3D$ topological insulators are captured by a $\mathbb{Z}_2$ chiral anomaly in the boundary field theory. It remained, however, unclear whether the anomaly survives electron-electron interactions. We show that this is indeed the case, thereby providing an alternative formalism for treating topological insulators in the interacting regime. We apply this formalism to fractional topological insulators (FTI) via projective/parton constructions and use it to test the robustness of all fractional topological insulators which can be described in this way. The stability criterion we develop is easy to check and based on the pairswitching behaviour of the noninteracting partons. In particular, we find that FTIs based on bosonic Laughlin states and the $M=0$ bosonic Read-Rezayi states are fragile and may have a completely gapped and non-degenerate edge spectrum in each topological sector. In contrast, the $\mathbb{Z}_{k}$ Read-Rezayi states with $M=1$ and odd $k$ and the bosonic $3D$ topological insulator with a $\pi/4$ fractional theta-term are topologically stable.

Obtaining topological degenerate ground states by the density matrix renormalization group

We develop the density matrix renormalization group approach to systematically identify the topological order of the quantum spin liquid (QSL) through adiabatically obtaining different topological sectors of the QSL on an infinite cylinder. As an application, we study the anisotropic kagome Heisenberg model known for hosting a Z$_2$ QSL, however no numerical simulations have been able to access all four sectors before. We obtain the complete set of four topological degenerate ground states distinguished by the presence or absence of the spinon and vison quasiparticle line, which fully characterizes the topological nature of the quantum phase. We have also studied the kagome Heisenberg model, which has attracted a lot of recent attention. We find two topological sectors accurately and also estimate various properties of the other topological sectors, where the larger correlation length is found indicating the possible proximity to another phase.

Topological charge order and binding in a frustrated XY model and related systems

We prove the existence of a finite temperature Z2 phase transition for the topological charge ordering within the fully frustrated XY model. Our method enables a proof of the topological charge confinement within the conventional XY models from a rather general vista. One of the complications that we face is the non-exact equivalence of the continuous (angular) XY model and its discrete topological charge dual. In reality, the energy spectra of the various topological sectors are highly nested, much unlike that suggested by the discrete dual models. We surmount these difficulties by exploiting the reflection positivity symmetry that this periodic flux phase model possesses. The techniques introduced here may prove binding of topological charges in numerous models and might be applied to examine transitions associated with various topological defects, e.g., the confinement of disclinations in the isotropic to nematic transition.

Topological magnetization jumps in a confined chiral soliton lattice

We demonstrate that a finite-size chiral soliton lattice formed in a chiral helimagnet with fixed boundary conditions exhibits magnetization jumps in a response to the magnetic field applied perpendicular to the chiral axis. The imposed boundary conditions lead to confinement of topological charges and quantized spatial periods of the soliton lattice. Building an envelope of the ground-state energies belonging to different topological sectors, we find the magnetization jumps related with the level crossing. After numerically establishing the quantization condition, we also develop a field-theoretical model to support the numerical results.

Studying and Removing Effects of Fixed Topology

At small lattice spacing, or when using overlap fermions, lattice QCD simulations tend to become stuck in a single topological sector. Physical observables, e.g.\ hadron masses, then differ from their full QCD counterparts by $1/V$ corrections, where $V$ is the spacetime volume. These corrections can be calculated order by order using the saddle point method. We calculate all corrections proportional to $1/V^2$ and $1/V^3$ and test the resulting equations for several models: a quantum mechanical particle on a circle, the Schwinger model and SU(2) Yang-Mills theory.

Field theory of nematicity in the spontaneous quantum anomalous Hall effect

We derive from a microscopic model the effective theory of nematic order in a system with a spontaneous quantum anomalous Hall effect in two dimensions. Starting with a model of two-component fermions (a spinor field) with a quadratic band crossing and short range four-fermion marginally relevant interactions we use a 1/N expansion and bosonization methods to derive the effective field theory for the hydrodynamic modes associated with the conserved currents and with the local fluctuations of the nematic order parameter. We focus on the vicinity of the quantum phase transition from the isotropic Mott Chern insulating phase to a phase in which time-reversal symmetry breaking coexists with nematic order, the nematic Chern insulator. The topological sector of the effective field theory is a BF/Chern-Simons gauge theory. We show that the nematic order parameter field couples with the Maxwell-type terms of the gauge fields as the space components of a locally fluctuating metric tensor. The nematic field has $z=2$ dynamic scaling exponent. The low energy dynamics of the nematic order parameter is found to be governed by a Berry phase term. By means of a detailed analysis of the coupling of the spinor field of the fermions to the changes of their local frames originating from long-wavelength lattice deformations we calculate the Hall viscosity of this system and show that in this system is not the same as the Berry phase term in the effective action of the nematic field, but both are related to the concept of torque Hall viscosity which we introduce here.

Classical Topological Order in Abelian and Non-Abelian Generalized Height Models

We present MonteCarlo simulations on a new class of lattice models in which the degrees of freedom are elements of an Abelian or non-Abelian finite symmetry group G, placed on directed edges of a two-dimensional lattice. The plaquette group product is constrained to be the group identity. In contrast to discrete gauge models (but similar to past work on height models), only elements of symmetry-related subsets S∈G are allowed on edges. These models have topological sectors labeled by group products along topologically nontrivial loops. Measurement of relative sector probabilities and the distribution of distance between defect pairs are done to characterize the types of order (topological or quasi-long-range order) exhibited by these models. We present particular models in which fully local non-Abelian constraints lead to global topological liquid properties.

T-DUALITY INVARIANCE OF THE SUPERMEMBRANE

We show that the supermembrane theory compactified on a torus is invariant under T-duality. There are two different topological sectors of the compactified supermembrane (M2) classified according to a vanishing or nonvanishing second cohomology class. We find the explicit T-duality transformation that acts locally on the supermembrane theory and we show that it is an exact symmetry of the theory. We give a global interpretation of the T-duality in terms of bundles. It has a natural description in terms of the cohomology of the base manifold and the homology of the target torus. We show that in the limit when the torus degenerate into a circle and the M2 mass operator restricts to the string-like configurations, the usual closed string T-duality transformation between the type IIA and type IIB mass operators is recovered. Moreover, if we just restrict M2 mass operator to string-like configurations but we perform a generalized T-duality we find the SL(2,Z) nonperturbative multiplet of IIA.