Three-dimensional spinless Euler insulators with rotational symmetry

TL;DR

This paper explores three-dimensional spinless Euler insulators with rotational symmetry, deriving formulas linking the Euler class to rotation eigenvalues, and analyzing phase transitions and bulk-boundary correspondence.

Contribution

It provides explicit relations between the Euler class and rotation eigenvalues in 3D insulators with $C_{4z}$ or $C_{6z}$ symmetry, extending the understanding of topological invariants.

Findings

Derived formulas relating Euler class to rotation eigenvalues.

Identified invariants protecting phase transitions.

Supported analysis with tight-binding models and numerical results.

Abstract

The Euler class is a $\mathbb{Z}$-valued topological invariant that characterizes a pair of real bands in a two-dimensional Brillouin zone. One of the symmetries that permits its definition is $C_{2z}T$, where $C_{2z}$ denotes a twofold rotation about the $z$ axis and $T$ denotes time-reversal symmetry. Here, we study three-dimensional spinless insulators characterized by the Euler class, focusing on the case where additional $C_{4z}$ or $C_{6z}$ rotational symmetry is present, and investigate the relationship between the Euler class of the occupied bands and their rotation eigenvalues. We first consider two-dimensional systems and clarify the transformation rules for the real Berry connection and curvature under point group operations, using the corresponding sewing matrices. Applying these rules to $C_{4z}$ and $C_{6z}$ operations, we obtain explicit formulas that relate the Euler class to the rotation eigenvalues at high-symmetry points. We then extend our analysis to three-dimensional systems, focusing on the difference in the Euler class between the two $C_{2z}T$-invariant planes. We derive analytic expressions that relate the difference in the Euler class to two types of representation-protected invariants and analyze their phase transitions. We further construct tight-binding models and perform numerical calculations to support our analysis and elucidate the bulk-boundary correspondence.