Abstract
Twisting symmetries provides an efficient method to diagnose symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases. In this paper, edge theories of (2+1)-dimensional topological phases protected by reflection as well as other symmetries are studied by twisting reflection symmetry, which effectively puts the edge theories on an unoriented space-time, such as the Klein bottle. A key technical step taken in this paper is the use of the so-called cross-cap states, which encode entirely the unoriented nature of space-time, and can be obtained by rearranging the space-time geometry and exchanging the role of space and time coordinates. When the system is in a nontrivial SPT phase, we find that the corresponding cross-cap state is noninvariant under the action of the symmetries of the SPT phase, but acquires an anomalous phase. This anomalous phase, with a proper definition of a reference state, on which symmetry acts trivially, reproduces the known classification of (2+1)-dimensional bosonic and fermionic SPT phases protected by reflection symmetry, including in particular the Z8 classification of topological crystalline superconductors protected by reflection and time-reversal symmetries.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 195142 |
Journal | Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics |
Volume | 91 |
Issue number | 19 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 26 2015 |
Externally published | Yes |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Condensed Matter Physics