Anomalous Quasiparticle Symmetries and Non-Abelian Defects on Symmetrically Gapped Surfaces of Weak Topological Insulators

D.F. Mross, A. Essin, J. Alicea, Adi Stern

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We show that boundaries of 3D weak topological insulators can become gapped by strong interactions while preserving all symmetries, leading to Abelian surface topological order. The anomalous nature of weak topological insulator surfaces manifests itself in a nontrivial action of symmetries on the quasiparticles; most strikingly, translations change the anyon types in a manner impossible in strictly 2D systems with the same symmetry. As a further consequence, screw dislocations form non-Abelian defects that trap Z4 parafermion zero modes.

Original languageEnglish
Article number036803
Number of pages5
JournalPhysical review letters
Volume116
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 22 Jan 2016

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Physics and Astronomy

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