A many body index for quantum charge transport

TYPETheor./Math. Physics Seminar
Speaker:Prof. Martin Fraas
Affiliation:University of Virginia Blacksburg
Organizer:Avron
Date:06.01.2019
Time:14:30
Location:Lidow Nathan Rosen (300)
Abstract:

We propose an index for pairs of a unitary map and a clustering state on many-body quantum systems. We require the map to conserve an integer-valued charge and to leave the state invariant. This index is integer-valued and stable under perturbations. In general, the index measures the charge transport across a fiducial line.  We show that it reduces to (i) an index of projections in the case of non-interacting fermions, (ii) the charge density for translational invariant systems, and (iii) the quantum Hall conductance in the two-dimensional setting without any additional symmetry. Example (ii) recovers the Lieb-Schultz-Mattis theorem, and (iii) provides a new and short proof of quantization of Hall conductivity in interacting many body systems.