Lattice Model of a Three-Dimensional Topological Singlet Superconductor with Time-Reversal Symmetry

Andreas P. Schnyder, Shinsei Ryu, and Andreas W. W. Ludwig
Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 196804 – Published 15 May 2009

Abstract

We study topological phases of time-reversal invariant singlet superconductors in three spatial dimensions. In these systems the topological phases are characterized by an even-numbered winding number ν. At the surface the topological properties of this quantum state manifest themselves through the presence of ν flavors of gapless Dirac fermion surface states, which are robust against localization from random impurities. We construct a lattice tight-binding model that realizes a topologically nontrivial phase, in which ν=±2. Disorder corresponds to a (nonlocalizing) random SU(2) gauge potential for the surface Dirac fermions, leading to a power-law density of states ρ(ϵ)ϵ1/7. The bulk effective field theory is proposed to be the (3+1)-dimensional SU(2) Yang-Mills theory with a theta term at θ=π.

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  • Received 16 January 2009

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.196804

©2009 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Andreas P. Schnyder1, Shinsei Ryu2, and Andreas W. W. Ludwig3

  • 1Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
  • 2Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
  • 3Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA

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Vol. 102, Iss. 19 — 15 May 2009

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