Time-reversal symmetric hierarchy of fractional incompressible liquids

Abstract

We provide an effective description of fractional topological insulators that include the fractional quantum spin Hall effect by considering the time-reversal symmetric pendant to the topological quantum field theories that encode the Abelian fractional quantum Hall liquids. We explain the hierarchical construction of such a theory and establish for it a bulk-edge correspondence by deriving the equivalent edge theory for chiral bosonic fields. Furthermore, we compute the Fermi-Bose correlation functions of the edge theory and provide representative ground state wave functions for systems described by the bulk theory. © 2011 American Physical Society.