9
$\begingroup$

$Z_{2}$ topological invariant exist for Kitaev model.

What symmetries does it conserve? And to what symmetry class it belongs to? The hamiltonian for kitaev model can be written as $$ H=\sum_k \phi_k^\dagger \begin{pmatrix} \xi(k) & 2i\Delta \sin(k)\\ -2i\Delta \sin(k ) & -\xi(k)\end{pmatrix}\phi(k) $$

$\endgroup$
1
  • $\begingroup$ @AndrewMcAddams I don't understand what do you mean by spontaneous symmetry breaking here? $\endgroup$
    – 12sa
    Commented Jan 2, 2015 at 20:27

2 Answers 2

3
$\begingroup$

It belongs to the symmetry class of no symmetry. i.e. the only symmetry is the fermion-number-parity conservation $Z_2^f$, which is always the symmetry of fermionic systems. See my paper http://arxiv.org/abs/1111.6341 for a discussion on the full-symmetry group $G_f$ for fermion systems.

$\endgroup$
2
$\begingroup$

The Kitaev model belongs to class D of the Altland-Zirnbauer classification. Here's the periodic table of non-interacting (gapped) fermionic topological systems.

enter image description here

The one circled in red corresponds to the 1D $p$-wave superconductor (or Kitaev chain). As you can see from the symmetry columns, it only possesses particle-hole symmetry ($\Xi$), while the time-reversal symmetry ($\Theta$) and the so-called chiral symmetry ($\Pi = \Theta \Xi$) are explicitly broken.

$\endgroup$
6
  • $\begingroup$ the time reversal symmetry for spinless hamiltonian can be checked using equation $h(-k)=h(k)^*$ and by using this equation it seems that above hamiltonian is time reversal symmetric so what I am missing here? $\endgroup$
    – 12sa
    Commented Jan 6, 2015 at 15:53
  • $\begingroup$ Just the fact that you are studying a spinless system implies time-reversal symmetry is broken. Electrons are spinful particles. However, electrons can be effectively made spinless by spin-polarizing them with a magnetic field (internal or external). In general, some form of magnetic order needs to be present in order to create a Kitaev chain. Magnetic order, by definition, breaks time-reversal symmetry. $\endgroup$
    – NanoPhys
    Commented Jan 7, 2015 at 2:16
  • $\begingroup$ here we are not considering spin degree of freedom so we can't talk about magnetic order or spin degree of freedom ? $\endgroup$
    – 12sa
    Commented Jan 10, 2015 at 22:32
  • $\begingroup$ Yes, we have to freeze out the spin degree of freedom. There are many ways to do that: external magnetic field, intrinsic magnetism, etc. For example, in the Kouwenhoven experiment (dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1222360), they used an external magnetic field, whereas in the Yazdani experiment (dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1259327), they used a ferromagnetic chain of iron atoms. $\endgroup$
    – NanoPhys
    Commented Jan 11, 2015 at 3:00
  • $\begingroup$ @NanoPhys ,Isn't The hamiltonian as written in the question belong to BDI class ? How do i compare it with $\endgroup$ Commented Mar 18, 2015 at 12:57

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.