Equivalence between the Axion Invariant and the $S_4$ Symmetry Indicator

Abstract

The equivalence between the axion invariant and the $S_4$ symmetry indicator is established for three-dimensional $S_4$-symmetric axion insulators with vanishing three-dimensional Chern numbers. Starting from the Chern-Simons expression for the magnetoelectric polarizability, $2P_3=\theta /\pi$ is rewritten in terms of the $S_4$ sewing matrix. After stable reduction to determinant-one two-band blocks, the invariant is expressed as the degree of a map from the Brillouin zone to $SU(2)$. The degree modulo two is then evaluated from the $S_4$ eigenvalues at the four $S_4$-invariant momenta and is shown to coincide with the symmetry indicator $z_2$. A minimal tight-binding model with $S_4$ symmetry verifies the correspondence between $2P_3$ and $z_2$ throughout its phase diagram. The result closes a gap between the topological-field-theory description of the axion response and the topological-band-theory classification by symmetry indicators. It also extends the known response-indicator equivalence from antiunitary settings such as $C_{n}T$ symmetry to the unitary, orientation-reversing roto-inversion symmetry $S_4$.

21 pages, 6 figures