Hamiltonian Lattice QED$_3$ with One and Two Flavors of Wilson Fermions: Topological Structure and Response

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Bharadwaj, Sriram, Rosanowski, Emil, Singh, Simran, di Tucci, Alice, Peng, Changnan, Jansen, Karl, Funcke, Lena, Luo, Di
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2026
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author Bharadwaj, Sriram
Rosanowski, Emil
Singh, Simran
di Tucci, Alice
Peng, Changnan
Jansen, Karl
Funcke, Lena
Luo, Di
author_facet Bharadwaj, Sriram
Rosanowski, Emil
Singh, Simran
di Tucci, Alice
Peng, Changnan
Jansen, Karl
Funcke, Lena
Luo, Di
contents The quantum simulation of topological phases in (2+1)D quantum electrodynamics with Wilson fermions provides a promising route toward realizing topological phenomena in near-term lattice experiments. We show that the commonly used staggered-fermion discretizations in Hamiltonian gauge theories possesses an exact time-reversal symmetry, which forbids the emergence of nontrivial topological phases and has led to confusion in the existing literature. In this work, we resolve this obstacle by systematically analyzing fermion discretization effects in (2+1)D lattice Hamiltonians of fermions coupled to U(1) gauge fields that satisfy Gauss' law. We show that Wilson fermions, already in the minimal one-flavor theory, naturally enable topological regimes with nonzero Chern numbers, and that the two-flavor extension at finite chemical potential further enriches the accessible topological structure. We develop gauge-invariant diagnostics of topological response, including many-body Chern numbers and current correlators that remain robust probes at weak coupling. Finally, through extensive exact diagonalization calculations across both flavor settings, we characterize the spectrum, correlators, and topological invariants, providing a concrete foundation for near-term quantum simulations of topological phases in lattice field theories. The implications of this work for quantum simulations of lattice field theory are analyzed in a joint submission [1].
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_05616
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Hamiltonian Lattice QED$_3$ with One and Two Flavors of Wilson Fermions: Topological Structure and Response
Bharadwaj, Sriram
Rosanowski, Emil
Singh, Simran
di Tucci, Alice
Peng, Changnan
Jansen, Karl
Funcke, Lena
Luo, Di
High Energy Physics - Lattice
High Energy Physics - Theory
Quantum Physics
The quantum simulation of topological phases in (2+1)D quantum electrodynamics with Wilson fermions provides a promising route toward realizing topological phenomena in near-term lattice experiments. We show that the commonly used staggered-fermion discretizations in Hamiltonian gauge theories possesses an exact time-reversal symmetry, which forbids the emergence of nontrivial topological phases and has led to confusion in the existing literature. In this work, we resolve this obstacle by systematically analyzing fermion discretization effects in (2+1)D lattice Hamiltonians of fermions coupled to U(1) gauge fields that satisfy Gauss' law. We show that Wilson fermions, already in the minimal one-flavor theory, naturally enable topological regimes with nonzero Chern numbers, and that the two-flavor extension at finite chemical potential further enriches the accessible topological structure. We develop gauge-invariant diagnostics of topological response, including many-body Chern numbers and current correlators that remain robust probes at weak coupling. Finally, through extensive exact diagonalization calculations across both flavor settings, we characterize the spectrum, correlators, and topological invariants, providing a concrete foundation for near-term quantum simulations of topological phases in lattice field theories. The implications of this work for quantum simulations of lattice field theory are analyzed in a joint submission [1].
title Hamiltonian Lattice QED$_3$ with One and Two Flavors of Wilson Fermions: Topological Structure and Response
topic High Energy Physics - Lattice
High Energy Physics - Theory
Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.05616