journal article·2026-01-16

Topological order and fractons from gauging exponential symmetries

Guilherme Delfino, Claudio Chamon, Yizhi You

Physical Review B· Volume 113· Issue 4
Publisher page

Abstract

We broaden the scope of quantum field theory by introducing a general class of discrete gauge theories that realize either topological order or fracton behavior across dimensions. We start from translation-invariant systems endowed with unconventional charge-conservation laws, which we term \textit{exponential polynomial symmetries}. Gauging these symmetries yields $\mathbb{Z}_N$ gauge theories in 2D that exhibit topological order whose quasiparticles have constrained mobility and whose ground-state degeneracy shows ultraviolet (UV) dependence. These features are reminiscent of spatial symmetry-enriched topological order, wherein quasiparticle excitations transform nontrivially under lattice translations. We further propose a Chern-Simons variant that produces non-CSS stabilizer codes and outline a framework for exponentially symmetric subsystem SPT phases. Finally, we extend this gauging procedure to 3D, obtaining new variants of fracton topological order.
Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Quasicrystal Structures and Properties · Mathematical Dynamics and Fractals · Topological and Geometric Data Analysis

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Boston University

Northeastern University

Funding

National Science Foundation · U.S. Department of Energy

References (52)

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