Symmetry and microscopic constraints on Hall conductances and a Wiedemann-Franz law: a view from the interface

TL;DR

This paper introduces a non-local bulk topological regularization method to derive constraints on Hall conductances and demonstrates the universal validity of the Wiedemann-Franz law in strongly interacting lattice systems.

Contribution

It proposes a novel non-local regularization approach for effective field theories and derives new constraints on Hall conductances and phase possibilities in lattice fermionic systems.

Findings

Derived a constraint on thermal and electric Hall conductances.

Showed the Wiedemann-Franz law holds regardless of interactions.

Established no-go theorems for symmetric gapped phases.

Abstract

We introduce an unconventional regularization of condensed matter effective field theory by a non-local bulk topological regulator in one higher dimension, which is equivalent to a bulk-interface-bulk formulation. We show its necessity motivated by a (0+1)-dimensional system. Although the system can be strictly defined on the lattice in its own dimensions, the bulk regulator is important to derive its correct physical observables, which cannot be captured by any local regulator. We explicitly obtain a constraint on the thermal and electric integer Hall conductances of half-filled translation invariant $N$-flavor gapped fermionic system on a square lattice possessing a unique ground state with uniform rational magnetic fluxes per unit cell in the presence of the onsite $U(N)$ symmetry. The Wiedemann-Franz law is shown to be obeyed by the Hall conductances regardless of arbitrarily strong interactions. We further obtain no-go theorems on the possible symmetric gapped phases.