I think you need to define what you mean by a "topological state of matter", since the term is used in several inequivalent ways. For example the toric code that you mention, is a very different kind of topological phase than topological insulators. Actually one might argue that all topological insulators (maybe except the Integer Quantum Hall, class A in the general classification) are only topological effects rather than true topological phases, since they are protected by discreet symmetries (time reversal, particle-hole or chiral). If these symmetries are explicitly or spontaneously broken then the system might turn into a trivial insulator.
But one of the simplest lattice models (much simpler that the toric code, but also not as rich) I know of is the following two band model (written in k-space)
$H(\mathbf k) = \mathbf d(\mathbf k)\cdot\mathbf{\sigma},$
with $\mathbf d(\mathbf k) = (\sin k_x, \sin k_y, m + \cos k_x + \cos k_y)$ and $\mathbf{\sigma} = (\sigma_x,\sigma_y,\sigma_z)$ are the Pauli matrices. This model belongs to the same topological class as the IQHE, meaning that it has no time-reversal, particle-hole or chiral symmetry. The spectrum is given by $E(\mathbf k) = \sqrt{\mathbf d(\mathbf k)\cdot\mathbf d(\mathbf k)}$ and the model is classified by the first Chern number
$C_1 = \frac 1{4\pi}\int_{T^2}d\mathbf k\;\hat{\mathbf d}\cdot\frac{\partial \hat{\mathbf d}}{\partial k_x}\times\frac{\partial \hat{\mathbf d}}{\partial k_y},$
where $T^2$ is the torus (which is the topology of the Brillouin zone) and $\hat{\mathbf d} = \frac{\mathbf d}{|\mathbf d|}$. By changing the parameter $m$ the system can go through a quantum critical point, but this can only happen if the bulk gap closes. So solving the equation $E(\mathbf k) = 0$ for $m$, one can see where there is phase transitions. One can then calculate the Chern number in the intervals between these critical points and find
$C_1 = 1$ for $0 < m < 2$, $C_1 = -1$ for $-2 < m < 0$ and $C_1 = 0$ otherwise.
Thus there are three different phases, one trivial and two non-trivial. In the non-trivial phases the system has quantized Hall response and protected chiral edge states (which can easily be seen by putting edges along one axes and diagonalizing the Hamiltonian on a computer).
If one takes the continuum limit, the model reduces to a 2+1 dimensional massive Dirac Hamiltonian and I think the same conclusions can be reached in this continuum limit but the topology enters as a parity anomaly.
More information can be found here: http://arxiv.org/abs/0802.3537 (the model is introduced in section IIB).
Hope you find this useful.
The 'topological' in topological order means 'robust against ANY local perturbations'.
According to such a definition, topological insulator is not 'topological' since its properties are not robust against ANY local perturbations, such as the perturbation that break the U(1) and time reversal symmetry. So a more proper name for
topological insulator is 'U(1) and time-reversal symmetry protected insulator', which is one example of SPT order.
Some example of topologically ordered states (in the sense of 'robust against ANY local perturbations'):
1) $\nu=\frac{1}{3}$ FQH state
2) $Z_2$ spin liquid state
3) $\nu=1$ IQH state
4) $E_8$ bosonic QH state
The example 3) and 4) have no non-trivial topological quasi-particles (ie no non-trivial statistics, no non-trivial topological degeneracy), but have
gapless edge state that is 'robust against ANY local perturbations'.
-- Edit -- (I lifted some discussions below to here):
There are two kinds of topology in math. The "topology" in "topological order" is directly related to the first kind of topology in mathematics, as in algebraic topology, homology, cohomology, tensor category. The "topology"
in "topological order"
is different from the "topology"
in "topological insulator". The "topology"
in "topological insulator"
is related to the second kind of topology in mathematics, as in mapping class, homotopy, K-theory, etc. The first kind of topology is algebraic, while the second kind of topology is related to the continuous manifold of finite dimensions. We may also say that the first kind of topology is "quantum", while the second kind of topology is "classical".
The correct way to describe any gapped phases (such as topological orders and topological insulators) is to use the first kind of topology -- "quantum" topology, because the gapped phases are usually interacting. The second kind of topology -- the "classical" topology -- can be used to describe the one-body physics (include free fermion systems). The "classical" topology cannot be used to describe interacting many-body systems, which need "quantum topology".
One needs to go beyond "filling energy level" picture to understand topological order (the first kind of topology). Our education in traditional condensed matter physics (or traditional many-body physics) is almost all about "filling energy levels" (such as Landau Fermi liquid theory, band theory, etc), which is a trap that limit our imagination. The second kind of topology (the "topology"
in "topological insulator") can be understood within the framework of "filling energy level" picture.
To answer the question What are the geometric properties of states with topological order from which we could deduce the topological order with some kind of Chern number (but without starting from a Chern-Simons field theory and putting in the right one by hand ;) ). Is there anything like this? I like to say that topological order is algebraic, not geometric. So the topological invariants of topological order are very different from Chern numbers. The robust ground state degenercy and the robust non-Abelian geometric phases of the degenerate ground states are the topological invariants of topological order (which are the analogues of the Chern number).
Best Answer
Let me first answer your question "is it wrong to consider topological superconductors (such as certain p-wave superconductors) as SPT states? Aren't they actually SET states?"
(1) Topological superconductors, by definition, are free fermion states that have time-reversal symmetry but no U(1) symmetry (just like topological insulator always have time-reversal and U(1) symmetries by definition). Topological superconductor are not p+ip superconductors in 2+1D. But it can be p-wave superconductors in 1+1D.
(2) 1+1D topological superconductor is a SET state with a Majorana-zero-mode at the chain end. But time reversal symmetry is not important. Even if we break the time reversal symmetry, the Majorana-zero-mode still appear at chain end. In higher dimensions, topological superconductors have no topological order. So they cannot be SET states.
(3) In higher dimensions, topological superconductors are SPT states.
The terminology is very confusing in literature:
(1) Topological insulator has trivial topological order, while topological superconductors have topological order in 1+1D and no topological order in higher dimensions.
(2) 3+1D s-wave superconductors (or text-book s-wave superconductors which do not have dynamical U(1) gauge field) have no topological order, while 3+1D real-life s-wave superconductors with dynamical U(1) gauge field have a Z2 topological order. So 3+1D real-life topological superconductors (with dynamical U(1) gauge field and time reversal symmetry) are SET states.
(3) p+ip BCS superconductor in 2+1D (without dynamical U(1) gauge field) has a non-trivial topological order (ie LRE) as defined by local unitary (LU) transformations. Even nu=1 IQH state has a non-trivial topological order (LRE) as defined by LU transformations. Majorana chain is also LRE (ie topologically ordered). Kitaev does not use LU transformation to define LRE, which leads to different definition of LRE.