English

SU(2)$_1$ chiral edge modes of a critical spin liquid

Strongly Correlated Electrons 2016-05-20 v2 Quantum Physics

Abstract

Protected chiral edge modes are a well-known signature of topologically ordered phases like the Fractional Quantum Hall States. Recently, using the framework of projected entangled pair states (PEPS) on the square lattice, we constructed a family of chiral Resonating Valence Bond states with Z2\mathbb{Z}_2 gauge symmetry. Here we revisit and analyze in full details the properties of the edge modes as given by their Entanglement Spectra on a cylinder. Surprisingly, we show that the latter can be well described by a chiral SU(2)1_1 Conformal Field Theory (CFT), as for the ν=1/2\nu=1/2 (bosonic) gapped Laughlin state, although our numerical data suggest a critical bulk compatible with an emergent U(1)U(1) gauge symmetry. We propose that our family of PEPS may physically describe a boundary between a chiral topological phase and a trivial phase.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1602.05969,
  title  = {SU(2)$_1$ chiral edge modes of a critical spin liquid},
  author = {Didier Poilblanc and Norbert Schuch and Ian Affleck},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1602.05969},
  year   = {2016}
}

Comments

9 pages, 10 figures. v2: minor changes in introduction, refs added