Yizhi You

Framing anomaly in the effective theory of the fractional quantum hall effect

We consider the geometric part of the effective action for the fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE). It is shown that accounting for the framing anomaly of the quantum Chern-Simons theory is essential to obtain the correct gravitational linear response functions. In the lowest order in gradients, the linear response generating functional includes Chern-Simons, Wen-Zee, and gravitational Chern-Simons terms. The latter term has a contribution from the framing anomaly which fixes the value of thermal Hall conductivity and contributes to the Hall viscosity of the FQH states on a sphere. We also discuss the effects of the framing anomaly on linear responses for non-Abelian FQH states.

Geometry of Fractional Quantum Hall Fluids

We use the field theory description of the fractional quantum Hall states to derive the universal response of these topological fluids to shear deformations and curvature of their background geometry, i.e., the Hall viscosity, and the Wen-Zee term. To account for the coupling to the background geometry, we show that the concept of flux attachment needs to be modified and use it to derive the geometric responses from Chern-Simons theories. We show that the resulting composite particles minimally couple to the spin connection of the geometry. We derive a consistent theory of geometric responses from the Chern-Simons effective field theories and from parton constructions, and apply it to both Abelian and non-Abelian states.

Theory of nematic fractional quantum hall states

We derive an effective field theory for the isotropic-nematic quantum phase transition of fractional quantum Hall (FQH) states. We demonstrate that for a system with an isotropic background the low-energy effective theory of the nematic order parameter has

Field theory of nematicity in the spontaneous quantum anomalous Hall effect

z=2

Response Properties of Axion Insulators and Weyl Semimetals Driven by Screw Dislocations and Dynamical Axion Strings

dynamical scaling exponent, due to a Berry phase term of the order parameter, which is related to the non-dissipative Hall viscosity. Employing the composite fermion theory with a quadrupolar interaction between electrons, we show that a sufficiently attractive quadrupolar interaction triggers a phase transition from the isotropic FQH fluid into a nematic fractional quantum Hall phase. By investigating the spectrum of collective excitations, we demonstrate that the mass gap of Girvin-MacDonald-Platzman (GMP) mode collapses at the isotropic-nematic quantum phase transition. On the other hand, Laughlin quasiparticles and the Kohn collective mode remain gapped at this quantum phase transition, and Kohns theorem is satisfied. The leading couplings between the nematic order parameter and the gauge fields include a term of the same form as Wen-Zee term. A disclination of the nematic order parameter carries an unquantized electric charge. We also discuss the relation between nematic degrees of freedom and the geometrical response of the fractional quantum Hall fluid.

Condensation of lattice defects and melting transitions in quantum Hall phases

We derive from a microscopic model the effective theory of nematic order in a system with a spontaneous quantum anomalous Hall effect in two dimensions. Starting with a model of two-component fermions (a spinor field) with a quadratic band crossing and short range four-fermion marginally relevant interactions we use a 1/N expansion and bosonization methods to derive the effective field theory for the hydrodynamic modes associated with the conserved currents and with the local fluctuations of the nematic order parameter. We focus on the vicinity of the quantum phase transition from the isotropic Mott Chern insulating phase to a phase in which time-reversal symmetry breaking coexists with nematic order, the nematic Chern insulator. The topological sector of the effective field theory is a BF/Chern-Simons gauge theory. We show that the nematic order parameter field couples with the Maxwell-type terms of the gauge fields as the space components of a locally fluctuating metric tensor. The nematic field has

Nematic quantum phase transition of composite Fermi liquids in half-filled Landau levels and their geometric response

z=2

Erratum: Framing anomaly in the effective theory of the fractional quantum hall effect (Physical Review Letters (2015) 114 (016805))

dynamic scaling exponent. The low energy dynamics of the nematic order parameter is found to be governed by a Berry phase term. By means of a detailed analysis of the coupling of the spinor field of the fermions to the changes of their local frames originating from long-wavelength lattice deformations we calculate the Hall viscosity of this system and show that in this system is not the same as the Berry phase term in the effective action of the nematic field, but both are related to the concept of torque Hall viscosity which we introduce here.

Field Theory of the Geometry of Fractional Quantum Hall Fluids

In this paper, we investigate the theory of dynamical axion string emerging from chiral symmetry breaking in three-dimensional Weyl semimetals. The chiral symmetry is spontaneously broken by a charge density wave (CDW) order which opens an energy gap and converts the Weyl semimetal into an axion insulator. Indeed, the phase fluctuations of the CDW order parameter act as a dynamical axion field

Dynamical Axion String, Torsion Defects in Axion Insulator and Weyl Semimetals

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