Geometric Model of Topological Insulators from the Maxwell Algebra

Abstract: We propose a novel geometric model of three-dimensional topological insulators in presence of an external electromagnetic field. The gapped boundary of these systems supports relativistic quantum Hall states and is described by a Chern-Simons theory with a gauge connection that takes values in the Maxwell algebra. This represents a non-central extension of the Poincar\'e algebra and takes into account both the Lorentz and magnetic-translation symmetries of the surface states. In this way, we derive a relativistic version of the Wen-Zee term, and we show that the non-minimal coupling between the background geometry and the electromagnetic field in the model is in agreement with the main properties of the relativistic quantum Hall states in the flat space.