No Arabic abstract
We study gapped boundaries of Abelian type-I fracton systems in three spatial dimensions. Using the X-cube model as our motivating example, we give a conjecture, with partial proof, of the conditions for a boundary to be gapped. In order to state our conjecture, we use a precise definition of fracton braiding and show that bulk braiding of fractons has several features that make it textit{insufficient} to classify gapped boundaries. Most notable among these is that bulk braiding is sensitive to geometry and is nonreciprocal, that is, braiding an excitation $a$ around $b$ need not yield the same phase as braiding $b$ around $a$. Instead, we define fractonic boundary braiding, which resolves these difficulties in the presence of a boundary. We then conjecture that a boundary of an Abelian fracton system is gapped if and only if a boundary Lagrangian subgroup of excitations is condensed at the boundary, this is a generalization of the condition for a gapped boundary in two spatial dimensions, but it relies on boundary braiding instead of bulk braiding. We also discuss the distinctness of gapped boundaries and transitions between different topological orders on gapped boundaries.
We describe topologically ordered and fracton ordered states on novel geometries which do not have an underlying manifold structure. Using tree graphs such as the $k$-coordinated Bethe lattice ${cal B}(k)$ and a hypertree called the $(k,n)$-hyper-Bethe lattice ${cal HB}(k,n)$ consisting of $k$-coordinated hyperlinks (defined by $n$ sites), we construct multidimensional arboreal arenas such as ${cal B}(k_1) square {cal B}(k_2)$ by the notion of a graph Cartesian product $square$. We study various quantum systems such as the ${mathbb Z}_2$ gauge theory, generalized quantum Ising models (GQIM), the fractonic X-cube model, and related X-cube gauge theory defined on these arenas. Even the simplest ${mathbb Z}_2$ gauge theory on a 2d arboreal arena is fractonic -- the monopole excitation is immobile. The X-cube model on a 3d arboreal arena is fully fractonic, all multipoles are rendered immobile. We obtain variational ground state phase diagrams of these gauge theories. Further, we find an intriguing class of dualities in arboreal arenas as illustrated by the ${mathbb Z}_2$ gauge theory defined on ${cal B}(k_1) square {cal B}(k_2)$ being dual to a GQIM defined on ${cal HB}(2,k_1) square {cal HB}(2,k_2)$. Finally, we discuss different classes of topological and fracton orders on arboreal arenas. We find three distinct classes of arboreal toric code orders on 2d arboreal arenas, those that occur on ${cal B}(2) square {cal B}(2)$, ${cal B}(k) square {cal B}(2), k >2$, and ${cal B}(k_1) square {cal B}(k_2)$, $k_1,k_2>2$. Likewise, four classes of X-cube fracton orders are found in 3d arboreal arenas -- those on ${cal B}(2)square{cal B}(2)square {cal B}(2)$, ${cal B}(k) square {cal B}(2)square {cal B}(2), k>2$, ${cal B}(k_1) square {cal B}(k_2) square {cal B}(2), k_1,k_2 >2$, and ${cal B}(k_1) square {cal B}(k_2) square {cal B}(k_3), k_1,k_2,k_3 >2$.
Fractional excitations in fracton models exhibit novel features not present in conventional topological phases: their mobility is constrained, there are an infinitude of types, and they bear an exotic sense of braiding. Hence, they require a new framework for proper characterization. Based on our definition of foliated fracton phases in which equivalence between models includes the possibility of adding layers of gapped 2D states, we propose to characterize fractional excitations in these phases up to the addition of quasiparticles with 2D mobility. That is, two quasiparticles differing by a set of quasiparticles that move along 2D planes are considered to be equivalent; likewise, braiding statistics are measured in a way that is insensitive to the attachment of 2D quasiparticles. The fractional excitation types and statistics defined in this way provide a universal characterization of the underlying foliated fracton order which can subsequently be used to establish phase relations. We demonstrate as an example the equivalence between the X-cube model and the semionic X-cube model both in terms of fractional excitations and through an exact mapping.
Fracton models exhibit a variety of exotic properties and lie beyond the conventional framework of gapped topological order. In a previous work, we generalized the notion of gapped phase to one of foliated fracton phase by allowing the addition of layers of gapped two-dimensional resources in the adiabatic evolution between gapped three-dimensional models. Moreover, we showed that the X-cube model is a fixed point of one such phase. In this paper, according to this definition, we look for universal properties of such phases which remain invariant throughout the entire phase. We propose multi-partite entanglement quantities, generalizing the proposal of topological entanglement entropy designed for conventional topological phases. We present arguments for the universality of these quantities and show that they attain non-zero constant value in non-trivial foliated fracton phases.
We discuss a strategy to construct gapped boundaries for a large class of symmetry-protected topological phases (SPT phases) beyond group cohomology. This is done by a generalization of the symmetry extension method previously used for cohomological SPT phases. We find that this method allows us to construct gapped boundaries for time-reversal-invariant bosonic SPT phases and for fermionic Gu-Wen SPT phases for arbitrary finite internal symmetry groups.
Fracton topological order (FTO) is a new classification of correlated phases in three spatial dimensions with topological ground state degeneracy (GSD) scaling up with system size, and fractional excitations which are immobile or have restricted mobility. With the topological origin of GSD, FTO is immune to local perturbations, whereas a strong enough global external perturbation is expected to break the order. The critical point of the topological transition is however very challenging to identify. In this work, we propose to characterize quantum phase transition of the type-I FTOs induced by external terms and develop a theory to study analytically the critical point of the transition. In particular, for the external perturbation term creating lineon-type excitations, we predict a generic formula for the critical point of the quantum phase transition, characterized by the breaking-down of GSD. This theory applies to a board class of FTOs, including X-cube model, and for more generic FTO models under perturbations creating two-dimensional (2D) or 3D excitations, we predict the upper and lower limits of the critical point. Our work makes a step in characterizing analytically the quantum phase transition of generic fracton orders.