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  • Letter

Boundary and defect criticality in topological insulators and superconductors

Xiaoyang Shen1,2, Zhengzhi Wu2, and Shao-Kai Jian3,*

  • *Contact author: sjian@tulane.edu

Phys. Rev. B 112, L041118 – Published 18 July, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/4lv4-mc81

Abstract

We study the boundary criticality enriched by boundary fermions, which ubiquitously emerge in topological phases of matter, with a focus on topological insulators and topological superconductors. By employing dimensional regularization and bosonization techniques, we uncover several alternative boundary universality classes. These include the boundary Gross-Neveu-Yukawa critical point and the special Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition, both resulting from the interplay between edge modes and bulk bosons. We present a comprehensive sketch of the phase diagram that accommodates these boundary criticalities and delineate their critical exponents. Additionally, we explore a (1+1)-dimensional conformal defect decorated with fermions, where a defect BKT transition is highlighted. We conclude with a discussion on potential experimental realizations of these phenomena.

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