Symmetry-protected many-body Aharonov-Bohm effect

Abstract

It is known as a purely quantum effect that a magnetic flux affects the real physics of a particle, such as the energy spectrum, even if the flux does not interfere with the particle's path—the Aharonov-Bohm effect. Here we examine an Aharonov-Bohm effect on a many-body wave function. Specifically, we study this many-body effect on the gapless edge states of a bulk gapped phase protected by a global symmetry (such as Z[subscript N])—the symmetry-protected topological (SPT) states. The many-body analog of spectral shifts, the twisted wave function, and the twisted boundary realization are identified in this SPT state. An explicit lattice construction of SPT edge states is derived, and a challenge of gauging its non-onsite symmetry is overcome. Agreement is found in the twisted spectrum between a numerical lattice calculation and a conformal field theory prediction.