Crystalline topological defects within response theory

Abstract

Crystal defects can highlight interesting quantum features by coupling to the low-energy Hamiltonian $H$. Here we show that independently of this $H$ coupling, topological crystalline defects can generate new features by directly modifying the response theory of electric field probes such as Raman scattering. To show this we consider an antiferromagnetic spin-1/2 model $H_{spin}$ on a zigzag chain. Crystalline domain walls between two zigzag domains appear as at most local defects in $H_{spin}$, but as topological (not locally creatable) defects in the Raman operator $R$ of inelastic photon scattering. Using time evolving block decimation (TEBD) numerics, mean field, and bosonization, we show that a finite density of crystalline domain walls shifts the entire Raman signal to produce an effective gap. This lattice-defect-induced Raman gap closes and reopens in applied magnetic fields. We discuss the effect in terms of photons sensing the lattice defects within $R$ as spin-dimerization domain walls, with $Z_2$ character, and a resulting shift of the probed wavevector from $q=0$ to $\pi+\delta q$, giving an $\textit{O}(1)$ change in contrast to local defects. The magneto-Raman singularity from topological lattice defects here relies on the $H_{spin}$ spinon liquid state, suggesting future applications using lattice topological defects to modify response-theory operators independently of $H$ and thereby generate new probes of quantum phases.