Switching spinless and spinful topological phases with projective $PT$ symmetry

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how to switch between spinless and spinful topological phases using projective $PT$ symmetry, enabling the realization of phases previously thought exclusive to one class in the other.

Contribution

It introduces a novel mechanism using $bZ_2$ projective representations to interchange spinless and spinful topological phases, expanding the landscape of possible topological states.

Findings

Topological phases can be switched between spinless and spinful classes.

Concrete models show the feasibility of the mechanism.

Discussion of potential experimental realizations.

Abstract

A fundamental dichotomous classification for all physical systems is according to whether they are spinless or spinful. This is especially crucial for the study of symmetry-protected topological phases, as the two classes have distinct symmetry algebra. As a prominent example, the spacetime inversion symmetry $PT$ satisfies $(PT)^2=\pm 1$ for spinless/spinful systems, and each class features unique topological phases. Here, we reveal a possibility to switch the two fundamental classes via $\mathbb{Z}_2$ projective representations. For $PT$ symmetry, this occurs when $P$ inverses the gauge transformation needed to recover the original $\mathbb{Z}_2$ gauge connections under $P$. As a result, we can achieve topological phases originally unique for spinful systems in a spinless system, and vice versa. We explicitly demonstrate the claimed mechanism with several concrete models, such as Kramers degenerate bands and Kramers Majorana boundary modes in spinless systems, and real topological phases in spinful systems. Possible experimental realization of these models is discussed. Our work breaks a fundamental limitation on topological phases and opens an unprecedented possibility to realize intriguing topological phases in previously impossible systems.