Entropic topological invariant for a gapped one-dimensional system

Abstract

We propose an order parameter for a general one-dimensional gapped system with an open boundary condition. The order parameter can be computed from the ground state entanglement entropy of some regions near one of the boundaries. Hence, it is well defined even in the presence of arbitrary interaction and disorder. We also show that it is invariant under a finite-depth local quantum circuit, suggesting its stability against an arbitrary local perturbation that does not close the energy gap. Further, it can unambiguously distinguish a Majorana chain from a trivial chain under global fermion parity conservation. We argue that the order parameter can be, in principle, measured in an optical lattice system.

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