Triviality of Bloch and Bloch-Dirac bundles

In the framework of the theory of an electron in a periodic potential, we reconsider the longstanding problem of the existence of smooth and periodic quasi-Bloch functions, which is shown to be equivalent to the triviality of the Bloch bundle. By exploiting the time-reversal symmetry of the Hamiltonian and some bundle-theoretic methods, we show that the problem has a positive answer for any d < 4, thus generalizing a previous result by G. Nenciu. We provide a general formulation of the result, aiming at the application to the Dirac equation with a periodic potential and to piezoelectricity.Comment: 20 pages, no figure

Symmetry and localization in periodic crystals: triviality of Bloch bundles with a fermionic time-reversal symmetry

We describe some applications of group- and bundle-theoretic methods in solid state physics, showing how symmetries lead to a proof of the localization of electrons in gapped crystalline solids, as e.g. insulators and semiconductors. We shortly review the Bloch-Floquet decomposition of periodic operators, and the related concepts of Bloch frames and composite Wannier functions. We show that the latter are almost-exponentially localized if and only if there exists a smooth periodic Bloch frame, and that the obstruction to the latter condition is the triviality of a Hermitian vector bundle, called the Bloch bundle. The role of additional $\mathbb{Z}_2$-symmetries, as time-reversal and space-reflection symmetry, is discussed, showing how time-reversal symmetry implies the triviality of the Bloch bundle, both in the bosonic and in the fermionic case. Moreover, the same $\mathbb{Z}_2$-symmetry allows to define a finer notion of isomorphism and, consequently, to define new topological invariants, which agree with the indices introduced by Fu, Kane and Mele in the context of topological insulators.Comment: Contribution to the proceedings of the conference "SPT2014 - Symmetry and Perturbation Theory", Cala Gonone, Italy (2014). Keywords: Periodic Schr\"{o}dinger operators, composite Wannier functions, Bloch bundle, Bloch frames, time-reversal symmetry, space-reflection symmetry, invariants of topological insulator

The topological Bloch-Floquet transform and some applications

We investigate the relation between the symmetries of a Schr\"odinger operator and the related topological quantum numbers. We show that, under suitable assumptions on the symmetry algebra, a generalization of the Bloch-Floquet transform induces a direct integral decomposition of the algebra of observables. More relevantly, we prove that the generalized transform selects uniquely the set of "continuous sections" in the direct integral decomposition, thus yielding a Hilbert bundle. The proof is constructive and provides an explicit description of the fibers. The emerging geometric structure is a rigorous framework for a subsequent analysis of some topological invariants of the operator, to be developed elsewhere. Two running examples provide an Ariadne's thread through the paper. For the sake of completeness, we begin by reviewing two related classical theorems by von Neumann and Maurin.Comment: 34 pages, 1 figure. Key words: topological quantum numbers, spectral decomposition, Bloch-Floquet transform, Hilbert bundle. V3: a subsection has been added; V4: some proofs have been simplified; V5: final version to be published (with a new title

Topological invariants of eigenvalue intersections and decrease of Wannier functions in graphene

We investigate the asymptotic decrease of the Wannier functions for the valence and conduction band of graphene, both in the monolayer and the multilayer case. Since the decrease of the Wannier functions is characterised by the structure of the Bloch eigenspaces around the Dirac points, we introduce a geometric invariant of the family of eigenspaces, baptised eigenspace vorticity. We compare it with the pseudospin winding number. For every value $n \in Z$ of the eigenspace vorticity, we exhibit a canonical model for the local topology of the eigenspaces. With the help of these canonical models, we show that the single band Wannier function $w$ satisfies $|w(x)| \leq \mathrm{const} |x|^{- 2}$ as $|x| \rightarrow \infty$, both in monolayer and bilayer graphene.Comment: 54 pages, 4 figures. Version 2: Section 1.0 added; improved results on the decay rate of Wannier functions in graphene (Th. 4.3 and Prop. 4.6). Version 3: final version, to appear in JSP. New in V3: previous Sections 3.1 and 3.2 are now Section 2.2; Lemma 2.4 modified (previous statement was not correct); major modifications to Section 2.3; Assumption 4.1(v) on the Hamiltonian change

Spectral and scattering theory for space-cutoff P(φ)2P(\varphi)_{2} models with variable metric

We consider space-cutoff $P(\varphi)_{2}$ models with a variable metric of the form H= \d\G(\omega)+ \int_{\rr}g(x):P(x, \varphi(x)):\d x, on the bosonic Fock space L^{2}(\rr), where the kinetic energy \omega= h^{\12} is the square root of a real second order differential operator $$h= Da(x)D+ c(x),$$ where the coefficients $a(x), c(x)$ tend respectively to 1 and $m_{\infty}^{2}$ at $\infty$ for some $m_{\infty}>0$. The interaction term \int_{\rr}g(x):P(x, \varphi(x)):\d x is defined using a bounded below polynomial in $\lambda$ with variable coefficients $P(x, \lambda)$ and a positive function $g$ decaying fast enough at infinity. We extend in this paper the results of \cite{DG} where $h$ had constant coefficients and $P(x, \lambda)$ was independent of $x$. We describe the essential spectrum of $H$, prove a Mourre estimate outside a set of thresholds and prove the existence of asymptotic fields. Our main result is the {\em asymptotic completeness} of the scattering theory, which means that the CCR representation given by the asymptotic fields is of Fock type, with the asymptotic vacua equal to bound states of $H$. As a consequence $H$ is unitarily equivalent to a collection of second quantized Hamiltonians. An important role in the proofs is played by the {\em higher order estimates}, which allow to control powers of the number operator by powers of the resolvent. To obtain these estimates some conditions on the eigenfunctions and generalized eigenfunctions of $h$ are necessary. We also discuss similar models in higher space dimensions where the interaction has an ultraviolet cutoff

The Flux-Across-Surfaces Theorem for a Point Interaction Hamiltonian

The flux-across-surfaces theorem establishes a fundamental relation in quantum scattering theory between the asymptotic outgoing state and a quantity which is directly measured in experiments. We prove it for a hamiltonian with a point interaction, using the explicit expression for the propagator. The proof requires only assuptions on the initial state and it covers also the case of zero-energy resonance. We also outline a different approach based on generalized eigenfunctions, in view of a possible extension of the result.Comment: AMS-Latex file, 11 page