Classification of 2+1D topological orders and SPT orders for bosonic and fermionic systems with on-site symmetries

TL;DR

This paper provides a comprehensive classification framework for 2+1D topological orders and SPT phases in bosonic and fermionic systems with on-site symmetries, using advanced category theory and extending beyond free-fermion models.

Contribution

It introduces a unified classification scheme for 2+1D GQLs using non-degenerate unitary braided fusion categories over symmetric fusion categories, covering both bosonic and fermionic cases, including interacting systems.

Findings

Classifies 2+1D bosonic/fermionic GQLs via UMTCs over SFCs.

Identifies exactly 16 superconducting phases with no symmetry.

Determines specific numbers of SPT phases for various symmetry groups.

Abstract

Gapped quantum liquids (GQL) include both topologically ordered states (with long range entanglement) and symmetry protected topological (SPT) states (with short range entanglement). In this paper, we propose a classification of 2+1D GQL for both bosonic and fermionic systems: 2+1D bosonic/fermionic GQLs with finite on-site symmetry are classified by non-degenerate unitary braided fusion categories over a symmetric fusion category (SFC) $\cal E$, abbreviated as $\text{UMTC}_{/\cal E}$, together with their modular extensions and total chiral central charges. The SFC $\cal E$ is $\text{Rep}(G)$ for bosonic symmetry $G$, or $\text{sRep}(G^f)$ for fermionic symmetry $G^f$. As a special case of the above result, we find that the modular extensions of $\text{Rep}(G)$ classify the 2+1D bosonic SPT states of symmetry $G$, while the $c=0$ modular extensions of $\text{sRep}(G^f)$ classify the 2+1D fermionic SPT states of symmetry $G^f$. Many fermionic SPT states are studied based on the constructions from free-fermion models. But it is not clear if free-fermion constructions can produce all fermionic SPT states. Our classification does not have such a drawback. We show that, for interacting 2+1D fermionic systems, there are exactly 16 superconducting phases with no symmetry and no fractional excitations (up to $E_8$ bosonic quantum Hall states). Also, there are exactly 8 $Z_2\times Z_2^f$-SPT phases, 2 $Z_8^f$-SPT phases, and so on. Besides, we show that two topological orders with identical bulk excitations and central charge always differ by the stacking of the SPT states of the same symmetry.