Abstract
Realization of topological insulators (TIs) and superconductors (TSCs), such as the quantum spin Hall effect and the Z2 topological insulator, in terms of D-branes in string theory is proposed. We establish a one-to-one correspondence between the K-theory classification of TIs/TSCs and D-brane charges. The string theory realization of TIs and TSCs comes naturally with gauge interactions, and the Wess-Zumino term of the D-branes gives rise to a gauge field theory of topological nature. This sheds light on TIs and TSCs beyond non-interacting systems, and the underlying topological field theory description thereof.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 175-179 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Physics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics |
Volume | 693 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2010 |
Keywords
- AdS/CFT
- D-branes
- Topological insulators
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Nuclear and High Energy Physics