Topological protection by local support symmetry and destructive interference

Abstract

Abstract Conventionally, symmetry-protected topological phases and band crossings are protected by global symmetries acting on the entire system. Here, we show that symmetries preserved only on a partial region of a system, termed local support symmetries, can protect topological features of the full system, even in the presence of symmetry-breaking couplings. We establish a unified framework by deriving explicit conditions for such protection in both insulating and metallic phases and show that destructive interference of Bloch wave functions plays a key role. Using representative tight-binding models, we demonstrate band crossings and topological bands protected by local support crystalline and time-reversal symmetries, and further present a realistic material realization in a fluorinated biphenylene network, where a band crossing is protected by a local support C 2 symmetry.