A powerful result of topological band theory is that nontrivial phases manifest obstructions to constructing localized Wannier functions. In Chern insulators, it is impossible to construct Wannier functions that respect translational symmetry in both directions. Similarly, Wannier functions that respect time-reversal symmetry cannot be formed in quantum spin Hall insulators. This molecular orbital interpretation of topology has been enlightening and was recently extended to topological crystalline insulators which include obstructions tied to space-group symmetries. In this paper, we introduce a class of two-dimensional topological materials known as optical $N$-insulators that possess obstructions to constructing localized molecular polarizabilities. The optical $N$-invariant $N\in \mathbb{Z}$ is the winding number of the atomistic susceptibility tensor $\chi$ and counts the number of singularities in the electromagnetic linear response theory. We decipher these singularities by analyzing the optical band structure of the material—the eigenvectors of the susceptibility tensor—which constitutes the collection of optical Bloch functions. The localized basis of these eigenvectors are optical Wannier functions which characterize the molecular polarizabilities at different lattice sites. We prove that in a nontrivial optical phase $N\ne 0$, such a localized polarization basis is impossible to construct. Utilizing the mathematical machinery of $K$ theory, these optical $N$-phases are refined further to account for the underlying crystalline symmetries of the material, generating a complete classification of the topological electromagnetic phase of matter.

• Received 20 October 2021
• Accepted 11 January 2022

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.4.023011

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Published by the American Physical Society