Abstract
Consider a finite triangulation of a surface M of genus g and assume that spin-less fermions populate the edges of the triangulation. The quantum dynamics of such particles takes place inside the algebra of canonical anti-commutation relations (CAR). Following Kitaev’s work on toric models, we identify a sub-algebra of CAR generated by elements associated to the triangles and vertices of the triangulation. We show that any Hamiltonian drawn from this sub-algebra displays topological spectral degeneracy. More precisely, if \({{\mathcal {P}}}\) is any of its spectral projections, the Booleanization of the fundamental group \(\pi _1(M)\) can be embedded inside the group of invertible elements of the corner algebra \({{\mathcal {P}}}\, \mathrm{CAR} \, {{\mathcal {P}}}\). As a consequence, \({{\mathcal {P}}}\) decomposes in \(4^g\) lower projections. Furthermore, a projective representation of \({{\mathbb {Z}}}_2^{4g}\) is also explicitly constructed inside this corner algebra. Key to all these is a presentation of CAR as a crossed product with the Boolean group \((2^X,\Delta )\), where X is the set of fermion sites and \(\Delta \) is the symmetric difference of its sub-sets.
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Notes
In any group, the commutators form a normal sub-group and the corresponding quotient is known as the abelianization of the group. The latter can be further quoted by the sub-group generated by the second power of the abelianized elements. The result is the Booleanization of the group.
If intersection is added as another binary operation, then \((2^X,\Delta ,\cap )\) becomes a Boolean ring.
This is the major difficulty for the operator-theoretic topological classification.
They have nothing in common with the vertex operators from conformal field theory.
Technically, this is the relative commutant.
By refining a triangulation, we mean placing one point inside one of the triangles and breaking that triangle into three smaller triangles that share a vertex at that point.
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Communicated by Vieri Mastropietro.
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This work is supported by National Science Foundation through grant DMR-1823800.
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Prodan, E. Fermionic Topological Order on Generic Triangulations. Ann. Henri Poincaré 22, 1133–1161 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00023-020-00999-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00023-020-00999-x