The $\mathbb{Z}_2$-Index of a Pair of Pure States and the Topology of Interacting 1D Superconductors

We define a relative $\mathbb{Z}_2$-index $\mathcal{N}(ω_1,ω_2)$ for locally-comparable, parity-invariant pure states on a unital $C^*$-algebra. We prove that the index is well-defined, multiplicative, invariant under parity-preserving automorphisms, and locally constant in the norm topology. For th