The Bott index of two unitary operators and the integer quantum Hall effect

Abstract

The Bott index of two unitary operators on an infinite dimensional Hilbert space is defined. homotopic invariance with respect to multiplicative unitary perturbations of the type identity plus trace class and the "logarithmic" law for the index are proven. The index and its properties are then extended to the case of a pair of invertible operators. An application to the physics of two dimensional quantum systems proves that the index is equal to the Chern number therefore showing that the transverse Hall conductance is an integer.