Non-Abelian Hopf-Euler insulators

Abstract: We discuss a class of three-band non-Abelian topological insulators in three dimensions that carry a single bulk Hopf index protected by spatiotemporal ($\mathcal{PT}$) inversion symmetry. These phases may also host subdimensional topological invariants given by the Euler characteristic class, resulting in real Hopf-Euler insulators. Such systems naturally realize helical nodal structures in the three-dimensional Brillouin zone, providing a physical manifestation of the linking number described by the Hopf invariant. We show that, by opening a gap between the valence bands of these systems, one finds a fully-gapped ``flag'' phase, which displays a three-band multi-gap Pontryagin invariant. Unlike the previously reported $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric four-band real Hopf insulator, which hosts a $\mathbb{Z} \oplus \mathbb{Z}$ invariant, these phases are not unitarily equivalent to two copies of a complex two-band Hopf insulator. We show that such uncharted phases can be obtained through dimensional extension of two-dimensional Euler insulators, and that they support (i) an optical bulk integrated circular shift effect quantized by the Hopf invariant, (ii) quantum-geometric breathing in the real space Wannier functions, and (iii) surface Euler topology on boundaries. Consequently, our findings pave the way for novel experimental realizations of real-space quantum-geometry, as these systems may be directly simulated by utilizing synthetic dimensions in metamaterials or ultracold atoms.