A Cohomological Framework for Topological Phases from Momentum-Space Crystallographic Groups

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Liu, T. R., Zhang, Zheng, Zhao, Y. X.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Liu, T. R.
Zhang, Zheng
Zhao, Y. X.
author_facet Liu, T. R.
Zhang, Zheng
Zhao, Y. X.
contents Crystallographic groups are conventionally studied in real space to characterize crystal symmetries. Recent work has recognized that when these symmetries are realized projectively, momentum space inherently accommodates nonsymmorphic symmetries, thereby evoking the concept of \textit{momentum-space crystallographic groups} (MCGs). Here, we reveal that the cohomology of MCGs encodes fundamental data of crystalline topological band structures. Specifically, the collection of second cohomology groups, $H^2(Γ_F,\mathbb{Z})$, for all MCGs $Γ_F$, provides an exhaustive classification of Abelian crystalline topological insulators, serving as an effective approximation to the full crystalline topological classification. Meanwhile, the third cohomology groups $H^3(Γ_F,\mathbb{Z})$ across all MCGs exhaustively classify all possible twistings of point-group actions on the Brillouin torus, essential data for twisted equivariant K-theory. Furthermore, we establish the isomorphism $H^{n+1}(Γ_F,\mathbb{Z})\cong H^n\big(Γ_F,\operatorname{\mathcal{F}}(\mathbb{R}^d_F,U(1))\big)$ for $ n\ge 1$, where $\operatorname{\mathcal{F}}(\mathbb{R}^d_F,U(1))$ denotes the space of continuous $U(1)$-valued functions on the $d$D momentum space $\mathbb{R}^d_F$. The case $n=1$ yields a complete set of topological invariants formulated in purely algebraic terms, which differs fundamentally from the conventional formulation in terms of differential forms. The case $n=2$, analogously, provides a fully algebraic description for all such twistings. Thus, the cohomological theory of MCGs serves as a key technical framework for analyzing crystalline topological phases within the general setting of projective symmetry.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_21844
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A Cohomological Framework for Topological Phases from Momentum-Space Crystallographic Groups
Liu, T. R.
Zhang, Zheng
Zhao, Y. X.
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Strongly Correlated Electrons
Mathematical Physics
Quantum Physics
Crystallographic groups are conventionally studied in real space to characterize crystal symmetries. Recent work has recognized that when these symmetries are realized projectively, momentum space inherently accommodates nonsymmorphic symmetries, thereby evoking the concept of \textit{momentum-space crystallographic groups} (MCGs). Here, we reveal that the cohomology of MCGs encodes fundamental data of crystalline topological band structures. Specifically, the collection of second cohomology groups, $H^2(Γ_F,\mathbb{Z})$, for all MCGs $Γ_F$, provides an exhaustive classification of Abelian crystalline topological insulators, serving as an effective approximation to the full crystalline topological classification. Meanwhile, the third cohomology groups $H^3(Γ_F,\mathbb{Z})$ across all MCGs exhaustively classify all possible twistings of point-group actions on the Brillouin torus, essential data for twisted equivariant K-theory. Furthermore, we establish the isomorphism $H^{n+1}(Γ_F,\mathbb{Z})\cong H^n\big(Γ_F,\operatorname{\mathcal{F}}(\mathbb{R}^d_F,U(1))\big)$ for $ n\ge 1$, where $\operatorname{\mathcal{F}}(\mathbb{R}^d_F,U(1))$ denotes the space of continuous $U(1)$-valued functions on the $d$D momentum space $\mathbb{R}^d_F$. The case $n=1$ yields a complete set of topological invariants formulated in purely algebraic terms, which differs fundamentally from the conventional formulation in terms of differential forms. The case $n=2$, analogously, provides a fully algebraic description for all such twistings. Thus, the cohomological theory of MCGs serves as a key technical framework for analyzing crystalline topological phases within the general setting of projective symmetry.
title A Cohomological Framework for Topological Phases from Momentum-Space Crystallographic Groups
topic Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Strongly Correlated Electrons
Mathematical Physics
Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.21844