Quantized edge magnetizations and their symmetry protection in one-dimensional quantum spin systems

TL;DR

This paper explores the concept of quantized edge magnetizations in one-dimensional quantum spin systems, revealing their topological origins, symmetry protections, and behavior across quantum phase transitions.

Contribution

It introduces magnetic analogs of bulk polarization, explains their symmetry protection, and demonstrates their role in distinguishing quantum phases and phase transitions.

Findings

Edge magnetization shares topological origin with fractional edge states.

Symmetries protect the quantization of edge magnetization.

Edge magnetization can change abruptly at quantum critical points.

Abstract

The bulk electric polarization works as a nonlocal order parameter that characterizes topological quantum matters. Motivated by a recent paper [H. Watanabe \textit{et al.}, Phys. Rev. B {\bf 103}, 134430 (2021)], we discuss magnetic analogs of the bulk polarization in one-dimensional quantum spin systems, that is, quantized magnetizations on the edges of one-dimensional quantum spin systems.The edge magnetization shares the topological origin with the fractional edge state of the topological odd-spin Haldane phases. Despite this topological origin, the edge magnetization can also appear in topologically trivial quantum phases. We develop straightforward field theoretical arguments that explain the characteristic properties of the edge magnetization. The field theory shows that a U(1) spin-rotation symmetry and a site-centered or bond-centered inversion symmetry protect the quantization of the edge magnetization. We proceed to discussions that quantum phases on nonzero magnetization plateaus can also have the quantized edge magnetization that deviates from the magnetization density in bulk. We demonstrate that the quantized edge magnetization distinguishes two quantum phases on a magnetization plateau separated by a quantum critical point. The edge magnetization exhibits an abrupt stepwise change from zero to $1/2$ at the quantum critical point because the quantum phase transition occurs in the presence of the symmetries protecting the quantization of the edge magnetization. We also show that the quantized edge magnetization can result from the spontaneous ferrimagnetic order.