Lattice models with exactly solvable topological hinge and corner states

TL;DR

This paper introduces a general method for constructing lattice models with exactly solvable boundary states, including higher-order topological phases, across various dimensions and lattice types, enabling precise analysis of their phase transitions.

Contribution

The authors present a universal recipe for creating lattice models with exactly solvable boundary states, advancing the understanding of higher-order topological phases without fine tuning.

Findings

Exact corner eigenstates in kagome and pyrochlore lattices

Exact hinge states in 3D lattice models

Boundary states evolve predictably across phase transitions

Abstract

We devise a generic recipe for constructing $D$-dimensional lattice models whose $d$-dimensional boundary states, located on surfaces, hinges, corners, and so forth, can be obtained exactly. The solvability is rooted in the underlying lattice structure and as such does not depend on fine tuning, allowing us to track their evolution throughout various phases and across phase transitions. Most saliently, our models provide "boundary solvable" examples of the recently introduced higher-order topological phases. We apply our general approach to breathing and anisotropic kagome and pyrochlore lattices for which we obtain exact corner eigenstates, and to periodically driven two-dimensional models as well as to three-dimensional lattices where we present exact solutions corresponding to one-dimensional chiral states at the hinges of the lattice. We relate the higher-order topological nature of these models to reflection symmetries in combination with their provenance from lower-dimensional conventional topological phases.