Disordered topological insulators: a non-commutative geometry perspective

DOI10.1088/1751-8113/44/11/113001zbMATH Open1213.82082arXiv1010.0595OpenAlexW3100226283MaRDI QIDQ3085227FDOQ3085227

Emil Prodan

Publication date: 31 March 2011

Published in: Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: This review deals with strongly disordered topological insulators and covers some recent applications of a well established analytic theory based on the methods of Non-Commutative Geometry (NCG) and developed for the Integer Quantum Hall-Effect. Our main goal is to exemplify how this theory can be used to define topological invariants in the presence of strong disorder, other than the Chern number, and to discuss the physical properties protected by these invariants. Working with two explicit 2-dimensional models, one for a Chern insulator and one for a Quantum spin-Hall insulator, we first give an in-depth account of the key bulk properties of these topological insulators in the clean and disordered regimes. Extensive numerical simulations are employed here. A brisk but self-contained presentation of the non-commutative theory of the Chern number is given and a novel numerical technique to evaluate the non-commutative Chern number is presented. The non-commutative spin-Chern number is defined and the analytic theory together with the explicit calculation of the topological invariants in the presence of strong disorder are used to explain the key bulk properties seen in the numerical experiments presented in the first part of the review.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1010.0595

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zbMATH Keywords

quantum Hall effecttopological insulatorChern numberdisordered regimes

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Many-body theory; quantum Hall effect (81V70) Disordered systems (random Ising models, random Schrödinger operators, etc.) in equilibrium statistical mechanics (82B44) Statistical mechanics of solids (82D20) Noncommutative geometry in quantum theory (81R60)

Cited In (16)

• Approximate symmetries and conservation laws in topological insulators and associated \(\mathbb{Z}\)-invariants
• Disordered crystals from first principles. II: Transport coefficients
• Exponentially localized Wannier functions in periodic zero flux magnetic fields
• On the Bott index of unitary matrices on a finite torus
• Delocalization of boundary states in disordered topological insulators
• \(\mathbb Z_2\) invariants of topological insulators as geometric obstructions
• \(K\)-theory and pseudospectra for topological insulators
• Construction of real-valued localized composite Wannier functions for insulators
• Real-space approach for the Euler class and fragile topology in quasicrystals and amorphous lattices
• Wannier functions and ℤ2 invariants in time-reversal symmetric topological insulators
• Majorana orthogonal transformation and Majorana zero modes in free fermionic systems
• Bloch bundles, Marzari-Vanderbilt functional and maximally localized Wannier functions
• EXPLANATION OF COMPOSITE FERMION STRUCTURE IN FRACTIONAL QUANTUM HALL SYSTEMS
• A non-commutative framework for topological insulators
• Almost commuting unitary matrices related to time reversal
• Disorder effects on the topological superconductor with Hubbard interactions

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