English

Hybrid-order topology in two-dimensional nonsymmorphic antiferromagnets

Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics 2026-05-11 v1

Abstract

We theoretically demonstrate hybrid-order topology in a two-dimensional nonsymmorphic antiferromagnet. Utilizing a generic antiferromagnetic Dirac model with a symmetry-allowed, momentum-dependent spin-density-wave (SDW) mass, we show that a single bulk insulating phase exhibits distinct topological boundary manifestations governed solely by the termination geometry. For screw-compatible edges, nonsymmorphic screw symmetry protects gapless first-order edge states. In contrast, for a 4545^\circ diamond-shaped termination, the screw symmetry is broken at the boundary, resulting in gapped edges. However, the finite geometry still preserves magnetic mirror symmetries MxT\mathcal{M}_x\mathcal{T} and MyT\mathcal{M}_y\mathcal{T}, which enforce an alternating pattern of edge masses, thereby binding zero-dimensional corner states. This second-order phase is characterized by a quantized quadrupole moment, with corner states pinned to zero energy by the chiral symmetry. We further demonstrate that explicit lattice perturbations can selectively gap the first-order edge modes while robustly preserving the corner states. Our work establishes a symmetry-based route to a termination-controlled duality between first- and second-order topology in magnetic nonsymmorphic systems.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2605.07206,
  title  = {Hybrid-order topology in two-dimensional nonsymmorphic antiferromagnets},
  author = {Wei Xiong and Zi-Ming Wang and Xin-Mei Wei and Rui Wang and Dong-Hui Xu},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2605.07206},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

5 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. B