Detecting crystal symmetry fractionalization from the ground state: Application to $\mathbb Z_2$ spin liquids on the kagome lattice

Abstract

In quantum spin liquid states, the fractionalized spinon excitations can carry fractional crystal symmetry quantum numbers, and this symmetry fractionalization distinguishes different topologically ordered spin liquid states. In this work we propose a simple way to detect signatures of such crystal symmetry fractionalizations from the crystal symmetry representations of the ground state wave function. We demonstrate our method on projected $\mathbb Z_2$ spin liquid wave functions on the kagome lattice, and show that it can be used to classify generic wave functions. Particularly our method can be used to distinguish several proposed candidates of $\mathbb Z_2$ spin liquid states on the kagome lattice.