Klein-bottle quadrupole insulators and Dirac semimetals

Abstract: The Benalcazar-Bernevig-Hughes (BBH) quadrupole insulator model is a cornerstone model for higher-order topological phases. It requires \pi-flux threading through each plaquette of the two-dimensional Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model. Recent studies showed that particular \pi-flux patterns can modify the fundamental domain of momentum space from the shape of a torus to a Klein bottle with emerging topological phases. By designing different \pi-flux patterns, we propose two types of Klein-bottle BBH models. These models show rich topological phases, including Klein-bottle quadrupole insulators and Dirac semimetals. The phase with nontrivial Klein-bottle topology shows twined edge modes at open boundaries. These edge modes can further support second-order topology, yielding a quadrupole insulator. Remarkably, both models are robust against flux perturbations. Moreover, we show that different \pi-flux patterns dramatically affect the phase diagram of the Klein-bottle BBH models. Going beyond the original BBH model, Dirac semimetal phases emerge in Klein-bottle BBH models featured by the coexistence of twined edge modes and bulk Dirac points.