Binomial Difference Ideal and Toric Difference Variety

In this paper, the concepts of binomial difference ideals and toric difference varieties are defined and their properties are proved. Two canonical representations for Laurent binomial difference ideals are given using the reduced Groebner basis of Z[x]-lattices and regular and coherent difference ascending chains, respectively. Criteria for a Laurent binomial difference ideal to be reflexive, prime, well-mixed, perfect, and toric are given in terms of their support lattices which are Z[x]-lattices. The reflexive, well-mixed, and perfect closures of a Laurent binomial difference ideal are shown to be binomial. Four equivalent definitions for toric difference varieties are presented. Finally, algorithms are given to check whether a given Laurent binomial difference ideal I is reflexive, prime, well-mixed, perfect, or toric, and in the negative case, to compute the reflexive, well-mixed, and perfect closures of I. An algorithm is given to decompose a finitely generated perfect binomial difference ideal as the intersection of reflexive prime binomial difference ideals.Comment: 72 page

Topological characterization of quantum phase transitions in a S=1/2 spin model

We have introduced a novel Majorana representation of S=1/2 spins using the Jordan-Wigner transformation and have shown that a generalized spin model of Kitaev defined on a brick-wall lattice is equivalent to a model of non-interacting Majorana fermions with Z_2 gauge fields without redundant degrees of freedom. The quantum phase transitions of the system at zero temperature are found to be of topological type and can be characterized by nonlocal string order parameters. In appropriate dual representations, these string order parameters become local order parameters and the basic concept of Landau theory of continuous phase transition can be applied.Comment: 5 figur