arXiv · 2512.11424
The Arf-Brown-Kervaire invariant on a lattice
Abstract
We propose a lattice formulation of the Arf-Brown-Kervaire (ABK) invariant which takes values in $\mathbb{Z}_8$. Compared to the standard $\mathbb{Z}$-valued index, the ABK invariant is more involved in that it arises in Majorana fermion partition functions with reflection symmetry on two-dimensional non-orientable manifolds, and its definition contains an infinite sum over Dirac eigenvalues that requires proper regularization. We employ the massive Wilson Dirac operator, with and without domain-walls, on standard two-dimensional square lattices, and use its Pfaffian for the definition. Twisted boundary conditions and cross-caps, which reverse the orientation, are introduced to realize nontrivial topologies equipped with nontrivial $\mathrm{Pin}^{-}$ structures of Majorana fermions. We verify numerically (and partly analytically) that our formulation on a torus, Klein bottle, real projective plane (as well as its triple connected sum), and two types of M\"obius strip reproduces the known values in continuum theory.
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Sho Araki, Hidenori Fukaya, Tetsuya Onogi, Satoshi Yamaguchi. 2025-12-12. The Arf-Brown-Kervaire invariant on a lattice. https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.11424
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