Characterization and Classification of Fermionic Symmetry Enriched Topological Phases

Abstract

We examine the interplay of symmetry and topological order in $2+1$ dimensional fermionic topological phases of matter. We define fermionic topological symmetries acting on the emergent topological effective theory described using braided tensor category theory. Connecting this to the ${\mathcal{G}}^{\mathrm{f}}$ fermionic symmetry of the microscopic physical system, we characterize and classify symmetry fractionalization in fermionic topological phases. We find that the physical fermion provides constraints that result in a tiered structure of obstructions and classification of fractionalization with respect to the physical fermions, the quasiparticles, and the vortices. The fractionalization of the (bosonic) symmetry $G={\mathcal{G}}^{\mathrm{f}}/{\mathbb{Z}}_2^{\mathrm{f}}$ on the physical fermions is essentially the central extension of $G$ by the ${\mathbb{Z}}_2^{\mathrm{f}}$ fermion parity conservation that yields the fermionic symmetry ${\mathcal{G}}^{\mathrm{f}}$. We develop an algebraic theory of ${\mathcal{G}}^{\mathrm{f}}$ symmetry defects for fermionic topological phases using $G$-crossed braided tensor category theory. This formalism allows us to fully characterize and classify $2+1$ dimensional fermionic symmetry enriched topological phases with on-site unitary fermionic symmetry group ${\mathcal{G}}^{\mathrm{f}}$. We first apply this formalism to extract the minimal data specifying a general fermionic symmetry protected topological phase, and demonstrate that such phases with fixed ${\mathcal{G}}^{\mathrm{f}}$ form a group under fermionic stacking. Then we analyze general fermionic symmetry enriched topological phases and find their classification is given torsorially by the classification of the symmetry fractionalization of quasiparticles combined with the classification of fermionic symmetry protected topological phases. We illustrate our results by detailing a number of examples, including all the invertible fermionic topological phases.

arXiv comment108 pages, many figures; v4: additional analysis, some corrections, presentation of Sec III improved for analysis of obstructions; v3: minor corrections and clarifications; v2: additional analysis, some corrections

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