Explicit derivation of duality between a free Dirac cone and quantum electrodynamics in (2+1) dimensions

Abstract

We explicitly derive the duality between a free electronic Dirac cone and quantum electrodynamics in $(2+1)$ dimensions (QED$_3$) with $N = 1$ fermion flavors. The duality proceeds via an exact, non-local mapping from electrons to dual fermions with long-range interactions encoded by an emergent gauge field. This mapping allows us to construct parent Hamiltonians for exotic topological-insulator surface phases, derive the particle-hole-symmetric field theory of a half-filled Landau level, and nontrivially constrain QED$_3$ scaling dimensions. We similarly establish duality between bosonic topological insulator surfaces and $N = 2$ QED$_3$.