Fractional chiral hinge insulator

Abstract

The recent theoretical and experimental discovery of higher-order topological insulators raises the question whether the interplay of this new topology and strong interactions could lead to a three-dimensional generalization of the fractional quantum Hall effect. The authors answer this question here using a model wavefunction ansatz and Monte Carlo simulations. They show that this interplay leads to fractional chiral hinge modes, similar to the Laughlin physics. Surprisingly, these results indicate a clear departure from conventional two-dimensional topological order on the gapped surfaces, akin to half a Laughlin state.

Topics & Concepts