Searching for fracton orders via symmetry defect condensation
Nathanan Tantivasadakarn, Sagar Vijay
Abstract
Fracton phases are exotic quantum states of matter that are characterized by the presence of pointlike excitations with fundamentally restricted mobility. Important open questions remain about how to characterize the universal properties of distinct types of fracton order when viewed as conventional quantum phases. The authors provide substantial progress towards answering this question by deriving constraints on the ground-state wavefunctions of fracton phases, which generalize the string-net equations used to characterize two-dimensional topological order. These constraints yield new types of fracton order, and provide a starting point for characterizing their essential data.
Topics & Concepts
FractonHomogeneous spacePhysicsTheoretical physicsGlobal symmetrySymmetry groupSymmetry (geometry)Topology (electrical circuits)Symmetry breakingQuantum mechanicsSpontaneous symmetry breakingMathematicsGeometryFractalMathematical analysisCombinatoricsQuantum many-body systemsTheoretical and Computational PhysicsTopological Materials and Phenomena