Topological Field Theories of Three-Dimensional Rotation Symmetric Insulators: Coupling Curvature and Electromagnetism

TL;DR

This paper explores three-dimensional rotation symmetric topological insulators, revealing their quantized geometric and electromagnetic responses, including fractional charges at disclinations and a topological response term coupling curvature and electromagnetism.

Contribution

It introduces a topological response theory coupling lattice curvature to electromagnetic fields and constructs a symmetry indicator for these topological phases.

Findings

Disclinations carry fractional charge in surface gapped phases.

Bulk disclination lines exhibit quantized electric polarization.

Mirror symmetric insulators can be deformed into higher-order octopole insulators.

Abstract

Quantized responses are important tools for understanding and characterizing the universal features of topological phases of matter. In this work, we consider a class of topological crystalline insulators in $3$D with $C_n$ lattice rotation symmetry along a fixed axis, in addition to either mirror symmetry or particle-hole symmetry. These insulators can realize quantized mixed geometry-charge responses. When the surface of these insulators is gapped, disclinations on the surface carry a fractional charge that is half the minimal amount that can occur in purely $2$D systems. Similarly, disclination lines in the bulk carry a fractionally quantized electric polarization. These effects, and other related phenomena, are captured by a $3$D topological response term that couples the lattice curvature to the electromagnetic field strength. Additionally, mirror symmetric insulators with this response can be smoothly deformed into a higher-order octopole insulator with quantized corner charges. We also construct a symmetry indicator form for the topological invariant that describes the quantized response of the mirror symmetric topological crystalline insulators, and discuss an unusual response quantization in time-reversal breaking systems.