Symmetry Enriched Topological Orders Research Articles

Symmetry-enriched topological order from partially gauging symmetry-protected topologically ordered states assisted by measurements

Symmetry-enriched topological order from partially gauging symmetry-protected topologically ordered states assisted by measurements

Anomaly of $(2+1)$-dimensional symmetry-enriched topological order from $(3+1)$-dimensional topological quantum field theory

Symmetry acting on a (2+1)DD topological order can be anomalous in the sense that they possess an obstruction to being realized as a purely (2+1)DD on-site symmetry. In this paper, we develop a (3+1)DD topological quantum field theory to calculate the anomaly indicators of a (2+1)DD topological order with a general symmetry group GG, which may be discrete or continuous, Abelian or non-Abelian, contain anti-unitary elements or not, and permute anyons or not. These anomaly indicators are partition functions of the (3+1)DD topological quantum field theory on a specific manifold equipped with some GG-bundle, and they are expressed using the data characterizing the topological order and the symmetry actions. Our framework is applied to derive the anomaly indicators for various symmetry groups, including \mathbb{Z}_2\times\mathbb{Z}_2ℤ2×ℤ2, \mathbb{Z}_2^T\times\mathbb{Z}_2^Tℤ2T×ℤ2T, SO(N)SO(N), O(N)^TO(N)T, SO(N)\times \mathbb{Z}_2^TSO(N)×ℤ2T, etc, where \mathbb{Z}_2ℤ2 and \mathbb{Z}_2^Tℤ2T denote a unitary and anti-unitary order-2 group, respectively, and O(N)^TO(N)T denotes a symmetry group O(N)O(N) such that elements in O(N)O(N) with determinant -1−1 are anti-unitary. In particular, we demonstrate that some anomaly of O(N)^TO(N)T and SO(N)\times \mathbb{Z}_2^TSO(N)×ℤ2T exhibit symmetry-enforced gaplessness, i.e., they cannot be realized by any symmetry-enriched topological order. As a byproduct, for SO(N)SO(N) symmetric topological orders, we derive their SO(N)SO(N) Hall conductance.

Bulk-boundary correspondence for intrinsically gapless symmetry-protected topological phases from group cohomology

Intrinsically gapless symmetry-protected topological phases (igSPT) are gapless systems with SPT edge states with properties that could not arise in a gapped system with the same symmetry and dimensionality. igSPT states arise from gapless systems in which an anomaly in the low-energy (infrared) symmetry group emerges from an extended anomaly-free microscopic (ultraviolet) symmetry. We construct a general framework for constructing lattice models for igSPT phases with emergent anomalies classified by group cohomology, and establish a direct connection between the emergent anomaly, group-extension, and topological edge states by gauging the extending symmetry. In many examples, the edge-state protection has a physically transparent mechanism: the extending UV symmetry operations pump lower-dimensional SPTs onto the igSPT edge, tuning the edge to a (multi)critical point between different SPTs protected by the IR symmetry. In two- and three-dimensional systems, an additional possibility is that the emergent anomaly can be satisfied by an anomalous symmetry-enriched topological order, which we call a quotient-symmetry-enriched topological order (QSET) that is sharply distinguished from the nonanomalous UV SETs by an edge phase transition. We construct exactly solvable lattice models with QSET order.

Designer non-Abelian fractons from topological layers

We formulate a construction of type-I fracton models based on gauging planar subsystem symmetries of topologically ordered two-dimensional layers that have been stacked in three ambient spatial dimensions. Via our construction, any defect of an Abelian symmetry group in a two-dimensional symmetry-enriched topological order can be promoted to a fracton. This allows us to construct fracton models supporting chiral boundaries and fractons of noninteger quantum dimension. We also find a lineon model supporting non-Abelian surface fractons on its boundary.

Measurement as a Shortcut to Long-Range Entangled Quantum Matter

The preparation of long-range entangled states using unitary circuits is limited by Lieb-Robinson bounds, but circuits with projective measurements and feedback (``adaptive circuits'') can evade such restrictions. We introduce three classes of local adaptive circuits that enable low-depth preparation of long-range entangled quantum matter characterized by gapped topological orders and conformal field theories (CFTs). The three classes are inspired by distinct physical insights, including tensor-network constructions, multiscale entanglement renormalization ansatz (MERA), and parton constructions. A large class of topological orders, including chiral topological order, can be prepared in constant depth or time, and one-dimensional CFT states and non-abelian topological orders with both solvable and non-solvable groups can be prepared in depth scaling logarithmically with system size. We also build on a recently discovered correspondence between symmetry-protected topological phases and long-range entanglement to derive efficient protocols for preparing symmetry-enriched topological order and arbitrary CSS (Calderbank-Shor-Steane) codes. Our work illustrates the practical and conceptual versatility of measurement for state preparation.

Position-dependent excitations and UV/IR mixing in the ZN rank-2 toric code and its low-energy effective field theory

We investigate how symmetry and topological order are coupled in the ($2+1$)--dimensional ${\mathbb{Z}}_{N}$ rank-2 toric code for general $N$, which is an exactly solvable point in the Higgs phase of a symmetric rank-2 $\text{U}(1)$ gauge theory. The symmetry-enriched topological order present has a nontrivial realization of square-lattice translation (and rotation and reflection) symmetry, where anyons on different lattice sites have different types and belong to different superselection sectors. We call such particles ``position-dependent excitations.'' As a result, in the rank-2 toric code anyons can hop by one lattice site in some directions while only by $N$ lattice sites in others, reminiscent of fracton topological order in $3+1$ dimensions. We find that while there are ${N}^{2}$ flavors of $e$ charges and $2N$ flavors of $m$ fluxes, there are not ${N}^{{N}^{2}+2N}$ anyon types. Instead, there are ${N}^{6}$ anyon types, and we can use Chern-Simons theory with six $\text{U}(1)$ gauge fields to describe all of them. While the lattice translations permute anyon types, we find that such permutations cannot be expressed as transformations on the six $\text{U}(1)$ gauge fields. Thus, the realization of translation symmetry in the ${\text{U}}^{6}(1)$ Chern-Simons theory is not known. Despite this, we find a way to calculate the translation-dependent properties of the theory. In particular, we find that the ground-state degeneracy on an ${L}_{x}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{L}_{y}$ torus is ${N}^{3}gcd({L}_{x},N)gcd({L}_{y},N)gcd({L}_{x},{L}_{y},N)$, where $gcd$ stands for ``greatest common divisor.'' We argue that this is a manifestation of UV/IR mixing which arises from the interplay between lattice symmetries and topological order.

String order parameters for symmetry fractionalization in an enriched toric code

We study a simple model of symmetry-enriched topological order obtained by decorating a toric code model with lower-dimensional symmetry-protected topological states. We show that the symmetry fractionalization in this model can be characterized by string order parameters, and that these signatures are robust under the effects of external fields and interactions, up to the phase transition point. This extends the recent proposal of [New Journal of Physics 21, 113016 (2019)] beyond the setting of fixed-point tensor network states, and solidifies string order parameters as a useful tool to characterize and detect symmetry fractionalization. In addition to this, we observe how the condensation of an anyon that fractionalizes a symmetry forces that symmetry to spontaneously break, and we give a proof of this in the framework of projected entangled pair states. This phenomenon leads to a notable change in the phase diagram of the toric code in parallel magnetic fields.

Note on generalized symmetries, gapless excitations, generalized symmetry protected topological states, and anomaly

We consider quantum many body systems with generalized symmetries, such as the higher form symmetries introduced recently, and the ‘tensor symmetry’. We consider a general form of lattice Hamiltonians which allow a certain level of nonlocality. Based on the assumption of dual generalized symmetries, we explicitly construct low energy excited states. We also derive the ’t Hooft anomaly for the general Hamiltonians after ‘gauging’ the dual generalized symmetries. A 3d system with dual anomalous 1-form symmetries can be viewed as the boundary of a 4d generalized symmetry protected topological (SPT) state with 1-form symmetries. We also present a prototype example of a 4d SPT state with mixed 1-form and 0-form symmetry topological response theory as well as its physical construction. The boundary of this SPT state can be a 3d anomalous QED state, or an anomalous 1-form symmetry-enriched topological order. Insights are gained by dimensional compatification/reduction. After dimensional compactification, the 3d system with N pairs of dual 1-form symmetries reduces to a 1d system with 2N pairs of dual U(1) global symmetries, which is the boundary of an ordinary 2d SPT state, while the 3d system with tensor symmetry reduces to a 1d Lifshitz theory, which is protected by the center of mass conservation of the system.

Nondiagonal anisotropic quantum Hall states

We propose a family of Abelian quantum Hall states termed the non-diagonal states, which arise at filling factors $\nu=p/2q$ for bosonic systems and $\nu=p/(p+2q)$ for fermionic systems, with $p$ and $q$ being two coprime integers. Non-diagonal quantum Hall states are constructed in a coupled wire model, which shows an intimate relation to the non-diagonal conformal field theory and has a constrained pattern of motion for bulk quasiparticles, featuring a non-trivial interplay between charge symmetry and translation symmetry. The non-diagonal state is established as a distinctive symmetry-enriched topological order. Aside from the usual $U(1)$ charge sector, there is an additional symmetry-enriched neutral sector described by the quantum double model $\mathcal{D}(\mathbb{Z}_p)$, which relies on the presence of both the $U(1)$ charge symmetry and the $\mathbb{Z}$ translation symmetry of the wire model. Translation symmetry distinguishes non-diagonal states from Laughlin states, in a way similar to how it distinguishes weak topological insulators from trivial band insulators. Moreover, the translation symmetry in non-diagonal states can be associated to the $\mathbf{e}\leftrightarrow\mathbf{m}$ anyonic symmetry in $\mathcal{D}(\mathbb{Z}_p)$, implying the role of dislocations as two-fold twist-defects. The boundary theory of non-diagonal states is derived microscopically. For the edge perpendicular to the direction of wires, the effective Hamiltonian has two components: a chiral Luttinger liquid and a generalized $p$-state clock model. Importantly, translation symmetry in the bulk is realized as self-duality on the edge. The symmetric edge is thus either gapless or gapped with spontaneously broken symmetry. For $p=2,3$, the respective electron tunneling exponents are predicted for experimental probes.

Noninvertible anomalies and mapping-class-group transformation of anomalous partition functions

Recently, it was realized that anomalies can be completely classified by topological orders, symmetry protected topological (SPT) orders, and symmetry enriched topological orders in one higher dimension. The anomalies that people used to study are invertible anomalies that correspond to invertible topological orders and/or symmetry protected topological orders in one higher dimension. In this paper, we introduce a notion of non-invertible anomaly, which describes the boundary of generic topological order. A key feature of non-invertible anomaly is that it has several partition functions. Under the mapping class group transformation of space-time, those partition functions transform in a certain way characterized by the data of the corresponding topological order in one higher dimension. In fact, the anomalous partition functions transform in the same way as the degenerate ground states of the corresponding topological order in one higher dimension. This general theory of non-invertible anomaly may have wide applications. As an example, we show that the irreducible gapless boundary of 2+1D double-semion (DS) topological order must have central charge $c=\bar c \geq \frac{25}{28}$.

Spontaneous symmetry breaking from anyon condensation

In a physical system undergoing a continuous quantum phase transition, spontaneous symmetry breaking occurs when certain symmetries of the Hamiltonian fail to be preserved in the ground state. In the traditional Landau theory, a symmetry group can break down to any subgroup. However, this no longer holds across a continuous phase transition driven by anyon condensation in symmetry enriched topological orders (SETOs). For a SETO described by a G-crossed braided extension mathcal{C}subseteq {mathcal{C}}_G^{times } , we show that physical considerations require that a connected étale algebra A ∈ mathcal{C} admit a G-equivariant algebra structure for symmetry to be preserved under condensation of A. Given any categorical action G → EqBr( mathcal{C} ) such that g(A) ≅ A for all g ∈ G, we show there is a short exact sequence whose splittings correspond to G-equivariant algebra structures. The non-splitting of this sequence forces spontaneous symmetry breaking under condensation of A, while inequivalent splittings of the sequence correspond to different SETOs resulting from the anyon-condensation transition. Furthermore, we show that if symmetry is preserved, there is a canonically associated SETO of {mathcal{C}}_A^{mathrm{loc}} , and gauging this symmetry commutes with anyon condensation.

Building symmetry-enriched topological phases from a bipartite lattice construction and anyon condensation

We introduce a construction of symmetry-enriched topological orders on bipartite lattices in which two $\mathbb{Z}_2$ spin liquids defined on each sublattice are combined, and then anyons are condensed to reduce the topological order. By choosing different anyon condensate structures, one can vary the fractionalization pattern of the resulting spin liquid, some of which cannot be readily constructed from parton based approaches. We demonstrate the construction for $i$) a spin-1/2 honeycomb lattice where we construct a featureless state as well as intermediate states with topological order, $ii$) a nonsymmorphic lattice, and $iii$) lattices with magnetic translation symmetry. At last, we discuss constraints on non-chiral topological orders in a bosonic system under magnetic field.

Beyond anyons

The theory of anyon systems, as modular functors topologically and unitary modular tensor categories algebraically, is mature. To go beyond anyons, our first step is the interplay of anyons with conventional group symmetry due to the paramount importance of group symmetry in physics. This led to the theory of symmetry-enriched topological order. Another direction is the boundary physics of topological phases, both gapless as in the fractional quantum Hall physics and gapped as in the toric code. A more speculative and interesting direction is the study of Banados–Teitelboim–Zanelli (BTZ) black holes and quantum gravity in 3d. The clearly defined physical and mathematical issues require a far-reaching generalization of anyons and seem to be within reach. In this short survey, I will first cover the extensions of anyon theory to symmetry defects and gapped boundaries. Then, I will discuss a desired generalization of anyons to anyon-like objects — the BTZ black holes — in 3d quantum gravity.

Symmetry constraints on many-body localization

We derive general constraints on the existence of many-body localized (MBL) phases in the presence of global symmetries, and show that MBL is not possible with symmetry groups that protect multiplets (e.g. all non-Abelian symmetry groups). Based on simple representation theoretic considerations, we derive general Mermin-Wagner-type principles governing the possible alternative fates of non-equilibrium dynamics in isolated, strongly disordered quantum systems. Our results rule out the existence of MBL symmetry protected topological phases with non-Abelian symmetry groups, as well as time-reversal symmetry protected electronic topological insulators, and in fact all fermion topological insulators and superconductors in the 10-fold way classification. Moreover, extending our arguments to systems with intrinsic topological order, we rule out MBL phases with non-Abelian anyons as well as certain classes of symmetry enriched topological orders.

A bilayer Double Semion model with symmetry-enriched topological order

We construct a new model of two-dimensional quantum spin systems that combines intrinsic topological orders and a global symmetry called flavour symmetry. It is referred as the bilayer Doubled Semion model (bDS) and is an instance of symmetry-enriched topological order. A honeycomb bilayer lattice is introduced to combine a Double Semion Topological Order with a global spin–flavour symmetry to get the fractionalization of its quasiparticles. The bDS model exhibits non-trivial braiding self-statistics of excitations and its dual model constitutes a Symmetry-Protected Topological Order with novel edge states. This dual model gives rise to a bilayer Non-Trivial Paramagnet that is invariant under the flavour symmetry and the well-known spin flip symmetry.

Low-Energy Spin Dynamics of the Honeycomb Spin Liquid Beyond the Kitaev Limit

We investigate the generic features of the low energy dynamical spin structure factor of the Kitaev honeycomb quantum spin liquid perturbed away from its exact soluble limit by generic symmetry-allowed exchange couplings. We find that the spin gap persists in the Kitaev-Heisenberg model, but generally vanishes provided more generic symmetry-allowed interactions exist. We formulate the generic expansion of the spin operator in terms of fractionalized Majorana fermion operators according to the symmetry enriched topological order of the Kitaev spin liquid, described by its projective symmetry group. The dynamical spin structure factor displays power-law scaling bounded by Dirac cones in the vicinity of the Γ, K, and K^{'} points of the Brillouin zone, rather than the spin gap found for the exactly soluble point.

Symmetry fractionalization and twist defects

Topological order in two-dimensions can be described in terms of deconfined quasiparticle excitations—anyons—and their braiding statistics. However, it has recently been realized that this data does not completely describe the situation in the presence of an unbroken global symmetry. In this case, there can be multiple distinct quantum phases with the same anyons and statistics, but with different patterns of symmetry fractionalization—termed symmetry enriched topological order. When the global symmetry group G, which we take to be discrete, does not change topological superselection sectors—i.e. does not change one type of anyon into a different type of anyon—one can imagine a local version of the action of G around each anyon. This leads to projective representations and a group cohomology description of symmetry fractionalization, with the second cohomology group being the relevant group. In this paper, we treat the general case of a symmetry group G possibly permuting anyon types. We show that despite the lack of a local action of G, one can still make sense of a so-called twisted group cohomology description of symmetry fractionalization, and show how this data is encoded in the associativity of fusion rules of the extrinsic ‘twist’ defects of the symmetry. Furthermore, building on work of Hermele (2014 Phys. Rev. B 90 184418), we construct a wide class of exactly-solvable models which exhibit this twisted symmetry fractionalization, and connect them to our formal framework.