- Letter
Boundary and defect criticality in topological insulators and superconductors
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 ()-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.