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I am trying to understand the symmetry protected topological phase. Most papers only explain the symmetry but none of them explain the meaning of "topological". My question is : What's the meaning of "topological" in "symmetry protected topological phase"?

fangniuwawa
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    Perhaps this can (partially) answer your question: http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/57179/is-edge-state-of-topological-insulator-really-robust. I can provide additional details if necessary. – NanoPhys Sep 19 '13 at 18:45

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The follow article directly address your question (which is a very good question):

Reconciling topological insulators and topological order

The article explains the different meaning of "topological" in "topological insulators" and "topological order".

Community
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Xiao-Gang Wen
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