Symmetry-protected topological phases in two-leg SU(N) spin ladder with unequal spins

TL;DR

This paper explores symmetry-protected topological phases in a two-leg SU(N) spin ladder with unequal spins, revealing all possible SPT phases for N=3 and 4 through analytical and numerical methods.

Contribution

It demonstrates that a simple two-leg SU(N) spin ladder can realize all SPT phases with projective SU(N) symmetry for N=3 and 4, combining analytical and numerical approaches.

Findings

Realization of chiral and non-chiral SPT phases in the ladder model

Mapping of the phase diagram for N=3 and 4

Identification of all possible SPT phases with projective SU(N) symmetry

Abstract

Chiral Haldane phases are examples of one-dimensional topological states of matter which are protected by projective SU($N$) group (or its subgroup $\mathbb{Z}_N \times \mathbb{Z}_N$) with $N>2$. The unique feature of these symmetry protected topological (SPT) phases is that they are accompanied by inversion-symmetry breaking and the emergence of different left and right edge states which transform, for instance, respectively in the fundamental ($\boldsymbol{N}$) and anti-fundamental ($\overline{\boldsymbol{N}}$) representations of SU($N$). We show, by means of complementary analytical and numerical approaches, that these chiral SPT phases as well as the non-chiral ones are realized as the ground states of a generalized two-leg SU($N$) spin ladder in which the spins in the first chain transform in $\boldsymbol{N}$ and the second in $\overline{\boldsymbol{N}}$. In particular, we map out the phase diagram for $N=3$ and $4$ to show that {\em all} the possible symmetry-protected topological phases with projective SU($N$)-symmetry appear in this simple ladder model.