Related papers: Computing the $\mathbb{Z}_2$ Invariant in Two-Dime…
Topological insulators can be characterized alternatively in terms of bulk or edge properties. We prove the equivalence between the two descriptions for two-dimensional solids in the single-particle picture. We give a new formulation of the…
We proposed a formula for the $Z_2$ invariant for topological insulators, which remains valid without translational invariance. Our formula is a local expression, in the sense that the contributions mainly come from quantities near a point.…
Solid state systems with time reversal symmetry and/or particle-hole symmetry often only have $\mathbb{Z}_2$-valued strong invariants for which no general local formula is known. For physically relevant values of the parameters, there may…
We consider a gapped periodic quantum system with time-reversal symmetry of fermionic (or odd) type, i.e. the time-reversal operator squares to -1. We investigate the existence of periodic and time-reversal invariant Bloch frames in…
We present a discrete formulation of the Kane-Mele $\mathbb{Z}_2$ invariant that is manifestly gauge-independent and quantized.
Transfer matrix methods and intersection theory are used to calculate the bands of edge states for a wide class of periodic two-dimensional tight-binding models including a sublattice and spin degree of freedom. This allows to define…
The prediction of non-trivial topological phases in Bloch insulators in three dimensions has recently been experimentally verified. Here, I provide a picture for obtaining the $Z_{2}$ invariants for a three dimensional topological insulator…
Topological insulators are materials with a bulk excitation gap generated by the spin orbit interaction, and which are different from conventional insulators. This distinction is characterized by Z_2 topological invariants, which…
Fermionic time-reversal-invariant insulators in two dimensions -- class AII in the Kitaev table -- come in two different topological phases. These are characterized by a $\mathbb{Z}_2$-index: the Fu-Kane-Mele index. We prove that if two…
It is known that three-dimensional magnetic systems with glide symmetry can be characterized by a $Z_2$ topological invariant together with the Chern number associated with the normal vector of the glide plane, and they are expressed in…
The ground state of translationally-invariant insulators comprise bands which can assume topologically distinct structures. There are few known examples where this distinction is enforced by a point-group symmetry alone. In this paper we…
We discuss the relation between bulk topological invariants and the spectrum of surface states in three dimensional non-interacting topological insulators. By studying particular models, and considering general boundary conditions for the…
Taking the clue from the modern theory of polarization [R. Resta, Rev. Mod. Phys. {\bf 66}, 899 (1994)], we identify an operator to distinguish between ${\mathbb Z}_2$-even (trivial) and ${\mathbb Z}_2$-odd (topological) insulators in two…
We define a new $Z_2$-valued index to characterize the topological properties of periodically driven two dimensional crystals when the time-reversal symmetry is enforced. This index is associated with a spectral gap of the evolution…
We study different aspects of integrable boundary quantum field theories, focusing mostly on the ``boundary sine-Gordon model'' and its applications to condensed matter physics. The first part of the review deals with formal problems. We…
The topology of insulators is usually revealed through the presence of gapless boundary modes: this is the so-called bulk-boundary correspondence. However, the many-body wavefunction of a crystalline insulator is endowed with additional…
We show that the Fu-Kane-Mele invariant of the 2d time-reversal-invariant crystalline insulators is equal to the properly normalized Wess-Zumino action of the so-called sewing matrix field defined on the Brillouin torus. Applied to 3d, the…
Axion insulators are generally understood as magnetic topological insulators whose Chern-Simons axion coupling term is quantized and equal to $\pi$. Inversion and time reversal, or the composition of either one with a rotation or a…
We construct new many-body invariants for 2d Chern and 3d chiral hinge insulators, which are characterized by quantized pumping of dipole and quadrupole moments. The invariants that we devise are written entirely in terms of many-body…
Two-dimensional systems with time-dependent controls admit a quadratic Hamiltonian modelling near potential minima. Independent, dynamical normal modes facilitate inverse Hamiltonian engineering to control the system dynamics, but some…