arXiv subjects

Ashvin Vishwanath

Publications and source records attributed to Ashvin Vishwanath.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

Constraints on topological order in Mott Insulators

We point out certain symmetry induced constraints on topological order in Mott Insulators (quantum magnets with an odd number of spin $\tfrac{1}{2}$ per unit cell). We show, for example, that the double semion topological order is incompatible with time reversal and translation symmetry in Mott insulators. This sharpens the Hastings-Oshikawa-Lieb-Schultz-Mattis theorem for 2D quantum magnets, which guarantees that a fully symmetric gapped Mott insulator must be topologically ordered, but is silent on which topological order is permitted. An application of our result is the Kagome lattice quantum antiferromagnet where recent numerical calculations of entanglement entropy indicate a ground state compatible with either toric code or double semion topological order. Our result rules out the latter possibility.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Anomalous Symmetry Fractionalization and Surface Topological Order

In addition to possessing fractional statistics, anyon excitations of a 2D topologically ordered state can realize symmetry in distinct ways , leading to a variety of symmetry enriched topological (SET) phases. While the symmetry fractionalization must be consistent with the fusion and braiding rules of the anyons, not all ostensibly consistent symmetry fractionalizations can be realized in 2D systems. Instead, certain `anomalous' SETs can only occur on the surface of a 3D symmetry protected topological (SPT) phase. In this paper we describe a procedure for determining whether an SET of a discrete, onsite, unitary symmetry group $G$ is anomalous or not. The basic idea is to gauge the symmetry and expose the anomaly as an obstruction to a consistent topological theory combining both the original anyons and the gauge fluxes. Utilizing a result of Etingof, Nikshych, and Ostrik, we point out that a class of obstructions are captured by the fourth cohomology group $H^4( G, \,U(1))$, which also precisely labels the set of 3D SPT phases, with symmetry group $G$. We thus establish a general bulk-boundary correspondence between the anomalous SET and the 3d bulk SPT whose surface termination realizes it. We illustrate this idea using the chiral spin liquid ($U(1)_2$) topological order with a reduced symmetry $\mathbb{Z}_2 \times \mathbb{Z}_2 \subset SO(3)$, which can act on the semion quasiparticle in an anomalous way. We construct exactly solved 3d SPT models realizing the anomalous surface terminations, and demonstrate that they are non-trivial by computing three loop braiding statistics. Possible extensions to anti-unitary symmetries are also discussed.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

General procedure for determining braiding and statistics of anyons using entanglement interferometry

Recently, it was argued that the braiding and statistics of anyons in a two-dimensional topological phase can be extracted by studying the quantum entanglement of the degenerate ground-states on the torus. This construction either required a lattice symmetry (such as $π/2$ rotation) or tacitly assumed that the `minimum entanglement states' (MESs) for two different bipartitions can be uniquely assigned quasiparticle labels. Here we describe a procedure to obtain the modular $\mathcal S$ matrix, which encodes the braiding statistics of anyons, which does not require making any of these assumptions. Our strategy is to compare MESs of three independent entanglement bipartitions of the torus, which leads to a unique modular $\mathcal S$. This procedure also puts strong constraints on the modular $\mathcal T$ and $\mathcal U$ matrices without requiring any symmetries, and in certain special cases, completely determines it. Our method applies equally to Abelian and non-Abelian topological phases.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Measuring space-group symmetry fractionalization in Z$_2$ spin liquids

The interplay of symmetry and topological order leads to a variety of distinct phases of matter, the Symmetry Enriched Topological (SET) phases. Here we discuss physical observables that distinguish different SETs in the context of Z$_2$ quantum spin liquids with SU(2) spin rotation invariance. We focus on the cylinder geometry, and show that ground state quantum numbers for different topological sectors are robust invariants which can be used to identify the SET phase. More generally these invariants are related to 1D symmetry protected topological phases when viewing the cylinder geometry as a 1D spin chain. In particular we show that the Kagome spin liquid SET can be determined by measurements on one ground state, by wrapping the Kagome in a few different ways on the cylinder. In addition to guiding numerical studies, this approach provides a transparent way to connect bosonic and fermionic mean field theories of spin liquids. When fusing quasiparticles, it correctly predicts nontrivial phase factors for combining their space group quantum numbers.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Z$_2$ topology and superconductivity from symmetry lowering of a 3D Dirac Metal Au$_2$Pb

3D Dirac semi-metals (DSMs) are materials that have massless Dirac electrons and exhibit exotic physical properties It has been suggested that structurally distorting a DSM can create a Topological Insulator (TI), but this has not yet been experimentally verified. Furthermore, quasiparticle excitations known as Majorana Fermions have been theoretically proposed to exist in materials that exhibit superconductivity and topological surface states. Here we show that the cubic Laves phase Au$_2$Pb has a bulk Dirac cone above 100 K that gaps out upon cooling at a structural phase transition to create a topologically non trivial phase that superconducts below 1.2 K. The nontrivial Z$_2$ = -1 invariant in the low temperature phase indicates that Au$_2$Pb in its superconducting state must have topological surface states. These characteristics make Au$_2$Pb a unique platform for studying the transition between bulk Dirac electrons and topological surface states as well as studying the interaction of superconductivity with topological surface states.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Three dimensional quantum spin liquids in models of harmonic-honeycomb iridates and phase diagram in an infinite-D approximation

Motivated by the recent synthesis of two insulating Li$_2$IrO$_3$ polymorphs, where Ir$^{4+}$ $S_{eff}$=1/2 moments form 3D ("harmonic") honeycomb structures with threefold coordination, we study magnetic Hamiltonians on the resulting $β$-Li$_2$IrO$_3$ hyperhoneycomb lattice and $γ$-Li$_2$IrO$_3$ stripyhoneycomb lattice. Experimentally measured magnetic susceptibilities suggest that Kitaev interactions, predicted for the ideal 90$^\circ$ Ir-O-Ir bonds, are sizable in these materials. We first consider pure Kitaev interactions, which lead to an exactly soluble 3D quantum spin liquid (QSL) with emergent Majorana fermions and Z$_2$ flux loops. Unlike 2D QSLs, the 3D QSL is stable to finite temperature, with $T_c \approx |K|/100$. On including Heisenberg couplings, exact solubility is lost. However, by noting that the shortest closed loop $\ell$ is relatively large in these structures, we construct an $\ell\rightarrow \infty$ approximation by defining the model on the Bethe lattice. The phase diagram of the Kitaev-Heisenberg model on this lattice is obtained directly in the thermodynamic limit, using tensor network states and the infinite-system time-evolving-block-decimation (iTEBD) algorithm. Both magnetically ordered and gapped QSL phases are found, the latter being identified by an entanglement fingerprint.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

A new spin-anisotropic harmonic honeycomb iridate

The physics of Mott insulators underlies diverse phenomena ranging from high temperature superconductivity to exotic magnetism. Although both the electron spin and the structure of the local orbitals play a key role in this physics, in most systems these are connected only indirectly --- via the Pauli exclusion principle and the Coulomb interaction. Iridium-based oxides (iridates) open a further dimension to this problem by introducing strong spin-orbit interactions, such that the Mott physics has a strong orbital character. In the layered honeycomb iridates this is thought to generate highly spin-anisotropic interactions, coupling the spin orientation to a given spatial direction of exchange and leading to strongly frustrated magnetism. The potential for new physics emerging from such interactions has driven much scientific excitement, most recently in the search for a new quantum spin liquid, first discussed by Kitaev \cite{kitaev_anyons_2006}. Here we report a new iridate structure that has the same local connectivity as the layered honeycomb, but in a three-dimensional framework. The temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility exhibits a striking reordering of the magnetic anisotropy, giving evidence for highly spin-anisotropic exchange interactions. Furthermore, the basic structural units of this material suggest the possibility of a new family of structures, the `harmonic honeycomb' iridates. This compound thus provides a unique and exciting glimpse into the physics of a new class of strongly spin-orbit coupled Mott insulators.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2014

Anomalous Fermi liquid phase in metallic Skyrmion crystals

In non-centrosymmetric crystals such as MnSi, magnetic order can take the form of a skyrmion crystal (SkX) . In this phase, conduction electrons coupled to the local magnetic moments acquire a Berry's phase, leading to an emergent electromagnetism. Motivated by experimental reports of a non-Fermi liquid phase in MnSi, in which resistivity is observed to scale as $Δρ\sim T^{3/2}$, here we examine the effect of coupling phonons of an incommensurate SkX to electrons. Despite the formal similarity to a system consisting of a Fermi surface coupled to an electromagnetic field, the Berry phase fluctuations do not lead to non-Fermi liquid behavior. Instead, we propose a different mechanism in which electrons scatter off columnar fluctuation in a three-dimensional SkX. When the effects of lattice induced anisotropy are neglected, these fluctuations are ultra-soft and induce an `anomalous Fermi liquid' in which Landau quasiparticles survive but with an anomalous $Δρ(T)\sim T^{7/4}$ resistivity perpendicular to the columns, and a Fermi liquid resistivity along them.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Detecting Majorana fermions in quasi-one-dimensional topological phases using nonlocal order parameters

Topological phases which host Majorana fermions can not be identified via local order parameters. We give simple nonlocal order parameters to distinguish quasi-one-dimensional (1D) topological superconductors of spinless fermions, for any interacting model in the absence of time reversal symmetry. These string or "brane" order parameters are natural for measurements in cold atom systems using quantum gas microscopy. We propose them as a way to identify symmetry-protected topological phases of Majorana fermions in cold atom experiments via bulk rather than edge degrees of freedom. Subsequently, we study two-dimensional (2D) topological superconductors via the quasi-1D limit of coupling $N$ identical chains on the cylinder. We classify the symmetric, interacting topological phases protected by the additional $\mathbb{Z}_N$ translation symmetry. The phases include quasi-1D analogs of (i) the $p+ip$ chiral topological superconductor, which can be distinguished up to the 2D Chern number mod 2, and (ii) the 2D weak topological superconductor. We devise general rules for constructing nonlocal order parameters which distinguish the phases. These rules encode the signature of the fermionic topological phase in the symmetry properties of the terminating operators of the nonlocal string or brane. The nonlocal order parameters for some of these phases simply involve a product of the string order parameters for the individual chains. Finally, we give a physical picture of one of the topological phases as a condensate of certain defects, which motivates the form of the nonlocal order parameter and is reminiscent of higher dimensional constructions of topological phases.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Criterion for stability of Goldstone Modes and Fermi Liquid behavior in a metal with broken symmetry

There are few general physical principles that protect the low energy excitations of a quantum phase. Of these, Goldstone's theorem and Landau Fermi liquid theory are the most relevant to solids. We investigate the stability of the resulting gapless excitations - Nambu Goldstone bosons (NGBs) and Landau quasiparticles - when coupled to one another, which is of direct relevance to metals with a broken continuous symmetry. Typically, the coupling between NGBs and Landau quasiparticles vanishes at low energies leaving the gapless modes unaffected. If however the low energy coupling is non-vanishing, non-Fermi liquid behavior and overdamped bosons are expected. Here we prove a general criterion which specifies when the coupling is non-vanishing. It is satisfied by the case of a nematic Fermi fluid, consistent with earlier microscopic calculations. In addition, the criterion identifies a new kind of symmetry breaking - of magnetic translations - where non-vanishing couplings should arise, opening a new route to realizing non-Fermi liquid phases.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Landau Quantization and Quasiparticle Interference in the Three-Dimensional Dirac Semimetal Cd3As2

Condensed matter systems provide a rich setting to realize Dirac and Majorana fermionic excitations and the possibility to manipulate them in materials for potential applications. Recently, it has been proposed that Weyl fermions, which are chiral, massless particles, can emerge in certain bulk materials or in topological insulator multilayers and can produce unusual transport properties, such as charge pumping driven by a chiral anomaly. A pair of Weyl fermions protected by crystalline symmetry, effectively forming a massless Dirac fermion, has been predicted to appear as low energy excitations in a number of candidate materials termed three-dimensional (3D) Dirac semimetals. Here we report scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) measurements at sub-Kelvin temperatures and high magnetic fields on one promising host material, the II-V semiconductor Cd3As2. Our study provides the first atomic scale probe of Cd3As2, showing that defects mostly influence the valence band, consistent with the observation of ultra-high mobility carriers in the conduction band. By combining Landau level spectroscopy and quasiparticle interference (QPI), we distinguish a large spin-splitting of the conduction band in a magnetic field and its extended Dirac-like dispersion above the expected regime. A model band structure consistent with our experimental findings suggests that for a specific orientation of the applied magnetic field, Weyl fermions are the low-energy excitations in Cd3As2.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

Interaction effects on 3D topological superconductors: surface topological order from vortex condensation, the 16 fold way and fermionic Kramers doublets

Three dimensional topological superconductors with time reversal symmetry (class DIII) are indexed by an integer $ν$, the number of surface Majorana cones, according to the free fermion classification. The superfluid B phase of He$^3$ realizes the $ν=1$ phase. Recently, it has been argued that this classification is reduced in the presence of interactions to Z$_{16}$. This was argued from the symmetry respecting surface topological orders of these states, which provide a non-perturbative definition of the bulk topological phase. Here, we verify this conclusion by focusing on the even index case, $ν=2m$, where a vortex condensation approach can be used to explicitly derive the surface topological orders. We show a direct relation to the well known result on one dimensional topological superconductors (class BDI), where interactions reduce the free fermion classification from Z down to Z$_8$. Finally, we discuss in detail the fermionic analog of Kramers time reversal symmetry, which allows semions of some surface topological orders to transform as $T^2=\pm i$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Theory and classification of interacting 'integer' topological phases in two dimensions: A Chern-Simons approach

We study topological phases of interacting systems in two spatial dimensions in the absence of topological order (i.e. with a unique ground state on closed manifolds and no fractional excitations). These are the closest interacting analogs of integer Quantum Hall states, topological insulators and superconductors. We adapt the well-known Chern-Simons {K}-matrix description of Quantum Hall states to classify such `integer' topological phases. Our main result is a general formalism that incorporates symmetries into the {K}-matrix description. Remarkably, this simple analysis yields the same list of topological phases as a recent group cohomology classification, and in addition provides field theories and explicit edge theories for all these phases. The bosonic topological phases, which only appear in the presence of interactions and which remain well defined in the presence of disorder include (i) bosonic insulators with a Hall conductance quantized to even integers (ii) a bosonic analog of quantum spin Hall insulators and (iii) a bosonic analog of a chiral topological superconductor, whose K matrix is the Cartan matrix of Lie group E$_8$. We also discuss interacting fermion systems where symmetries are realized in a projective fashion, where we find the present formalism can handle a wider range of symmetries than a recent group super-cohomology classification. Lastly we construct microscopic models of these phases from coupled one-dimensional systems.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Kitaev-Heisenberg models for iridates on the triangular, hyperkagome, kagome, fcc, and pyrochlore lattices

The Kitaev-Heisenberg (KH) model has been proposed to capture magnetic interactions in iridate Mott insulators on the honeycomb lattice. We show that analogous interactions arise in many other geometries built from edge-sharing IrO_6 octahedra, including the pyrochlore and hyperkagome lattices relevant to Ir2O4 and Na4Ir3O8 respectively. The Kitaev spin liquid exact solution does not generalize to these lattices. However, a different exactly soluble point of the honeycomb lattice KH model, obtained by a four-sublattice transformation to a ferromagnet, generalizes to all these lattices. A Klein four-group =Z2xZ2 structure is associated with this mapping (hence Klein duality). A finite lattice admits the duality if a simple geometrical condition is met. This duality predicts fluctuation free ordered states on these different 2D and 3D lattices, which are analogs of the honeycomb lattice KH stripy order. This result is used in conjunction with a semiclassical Luttinger-Tisza approximation to obtain phase diagrams for KH models on the different lattices. We also discuss a Majorana fermion based mean field theory at the Kitaev point, which is exact on the honeycomb lattice, for the KH models on the different lattices. We attribute the rich behavior of these models to the interplay of geometric frustration and frustration induced by spin-orbit coupling.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Quantum Oscillations from Surface Fermi-Arcs in Weyl and Dirac Semi-Metals

The surface states of Weyl semi-metals (SM's) consist of disjointed Fermi-arcs. This unusual surface-Fermiology provides a fingerprint of the topological features of the bulk Weyl-phase. Using a combination of semiclassical and numerical methods, we show that, in contrast to naive expectation, there are closed magnetic orbits involving the open- surface Fermi-arcs. Below a critical field strength that depends on sample thickness, these orbits produce periodic quantum oscillations of the density of states in a magnetic field, enabling a variety of experimental probes of the unconventional Fermi-arc surface states. The orbits are also essential for reproducing the bulk chiral anomaly in a finite slab. These results are then extended to the closely related and recently discovered 3D Dirac SM materials, including Cd3As2 and Na3Bi, which are doubled copies of Weyl semi-metals protected by crystal symmetry. Despite the fact that the protecting crystal symmetry is broken by a surface, we show that Dirac materials can still host unconventional surface-states, which can be detected in quantum oscillations experiments.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Featureless and non-fractionalized Mott insulators on the honeycomb lattice at 1/2 site filling

Within the Landau paradigm, phases of matter are distinguished by spontaneous symmetry breaking. Implicit here is the assumption that a completely symmetric state exists: a paramagnet. At zero temperature such quantum featureless insulators may be forbidden, triggering either conventional order or topological order with fractionalized excitations. Such is the case for interacting particles when the particle number per unit cell, f, is not an integer. But, can lattice symmetries forbid featureless insulators even at integer f? An especially relevant case is the honeycomb (graphene) lattice --- where free spinless fermions at f=1 (the two sites per unit cell mean f=1 is half filling per site) are always metallic. Here we present wave functions for bosons, and a related spin-singlet wave function for spinful electrons, on the f=1 honeycomb, and demonstrate via quantum to classical mappings that they do form featureless Mott insulators. The construction generalizes to symmorphic lattices at integer f in any dimension. Our results explicitly demonstrate that in this case, despite the absence of a non-interacting insulator at the same filling, lack of order at zero temperature does not imply fractionalization.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2013

Non-Abelian Topological Order on the Surface of a 3D Topological Superconductor from an Exactly Solved Model

Three dimensional topological superconductors (TScs) protected by time reversal (T) symmetry are characterized by gapless Majorana cones on their surface. Free fermion phases with this symmetry (class DIII) are indexed by an integer n, of which n=1 is realized by the B-phase of superfluid Helium-3. Previously it was believed that the surface must be gapless unless time reversal symmetry is broken. Here we argue that a fully symmetric and gapped surface is possible in the presence of strong interactions, if a special type of topological order appears on the surface. The topological order realizes T symmetry in an anomalous way, one that is impossible to achieve in purely two dimensions. For odd n TScs, the surface topological order must be non-Abelian. We propose the simplest non-Abelian topological order that contains electron like excitations, SO(3)_6, with four quasiparticles, as a candidate surface state. Remarkably, this theory has a hidden T invariance which however is broken in any 2D realization. By explicitly constructing an exactly soluble Walker-Wang model we show that it can be realized at the surface of a short ranged entangled 3D fermionic phase protected by T symmetry, with bulk electrons trasforming as Kramers pairs, i.e. T^2=-1 under time reversal. We also propose an Abelian theory, the semion-fermion topological order, to realize an even n TSc surface, for which an explicit model is derived using a coupled layer construction. We argue that this is related to the n=2 TSc, and use this to build candidate surface topological orders for n=4 and n=8 TScs. The latter is equivalent to the three fermion state which is the surface topological order of a Z2 bosonic topological phase protected by T invariance. One particular consequence of this is that an n=16 TSc admits a trivially gapped T-symmetric surface.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2013

Localization and topology protected quantum coherence at the edge of 'hot' matter

Topological phases are often characterized by special edge states confined near the boundaries by an energy gap in the bulk. On raising temperature, these edge states are lost in a clean system due to mobile thermal excitations. Recently however, it has been established that disorder can localize an isolated many body system, potentially allowing for a sharply defined topological phase even in a highly excited state. Here we show this to be the case for the topological phase of a one dimensional magnet with quenched disorder, which features spin one-half excitations at the edges. The time evolution of a simple, highly excited, initial state is used to reveal quantum coherent edge spins. In particular, we demonstrate, using theoretical arguments and numerical simulation, the coherent revival of an edge spin over a time scale that grows exponentially bigger with system size. This is in sharp contrast to the general expectation that quantum bits strongly coupled to a 'hot' many body system will rapidly lose coherence.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗