Crystallography of hyperbolic lattices

Abstract

Hyperbolic lattices are a revolutionary platform for tabletop simulations of holography and quantum physics in curved space and facilitate efficient quantum error correcting codes. Their underlying geometry is non-Euclidean, and the absence of Bloch's theorem precludes the straightforward application of the often indispensable energy band theory to study model Hamiltonians on hyperbolic lattices. Motivated by recent insights into hyperbolic band theory, we initiate a crystallography of hyperbolic lattices. Here we show that many hyperbolic lattices feature a hidden crystal structure characterized by unit cells, hyperbolic Bravais lattices, and associated symmetry groups. Using the mathematical framework of higher-genus Riemann surfaces and Fuchsian groups, we derive a list of example hyperbolic {p,q} lattices and their hyperbolic Bravais lattices, including five infinite families and several graphs relevant for experiments in circuit quantum electrodynamics and topolectrical circuits. This dramatically simplifies the computation of energy spectra of tight-binding Hamiltonians on hyperbolic lattices, from exact diagonalization on the graph to solving a finite set of equations in terms of irreducible representations. The significance of this achievement needs to be compared to the all-important role played by conventional Euclidean crystallography in the study of solids. We exemplify the high potential of this approach by constructing and diagonalizing finite-dimensional Bloch wave Hamiltonians.