From Edge State Physics to Entanglement Spectrum: Studying Interactions and Impurities in Two-Dimensional Topological Insulators

Abstract

We present a novel theoretical approach to incorporate electronic interactions in the study of two-dimensional topological insulators. By exploiting the correspondence between edge state physics and entanglement spectrum in gapped topological systems, we deconstruct the system into one-dimensional channels. This framework enables a simple and elegant inclusion of fermionic interactions into the discussion of topological insulators. We apply this approach to the Kane-Mele model with interactions and magnetic impurities.