Topological Phases with Average Symmetries: the Decohered, the Disordered, and the Intrinsic

Global symmetries greatly enrich the landscape of topological quantum phases, playing an essential role from symmetry-protection of topological insulators to symmetry charge fractionalization on anyons in fractional quantum Hall effect. Topological phases in mixed quantum states, originating from decoherence in open quantum systems or disorders in imperfect crystalline solids, have recently garnered significant interest. Unlike pure states, mixed quantum states can exhibit average symmetries -- symmetries that keep the total ensemble invariant but not on each individual state. It was realized that symmetry-protected topological phases could be well-defined for such mixed states carrying average symmetries. In this work, we present a systematic classification and characterization of average symmetry-protected topological (ASPT) phases applicable to generic symmetry groups, encompassing both average and exact symmetries, for bosonic and fermionic systems. Moreover, we formulate the theory of average symmetry-enriched topological (ASET) orders in disordered bosonic systems. We demonstrate that numerous concepts from pure state symmetry-enriched topological (SET) phases, such as anyon permutation, symmetry fractionalization, and 't Hooft anomaly, are well-defined for ASET phases but with various intriguing twists. Our systematic approach helps clarify nuanced issues in previous literature and uncovers compelling new physics.