In the study of $\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$-symmetric quantum systems with non-Hermitian perturbations, one of the most important questions is whether eigenvalues stay real or whether $\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$-symmetry is spontaneously broken when eigenvalues meet. A particularly interesting set of eigenstates is provided by the degenerate ground-state subspace of systems with topological order. In this paper, we present simple criteria that guarantee the protection of $\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$-symmetry and, thus, the reality of the eigenvalues in topological many-body systems. We formulate these criteria in both geometric and algebraic form, and demonstrate them using the toric code and several different fracton models as examples. Our analysis reveals that $\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$-symmetry is robust against a remarkably large class of non-Hermitian perturbations in these models; this is particularly striking in the case of fracton models due to the exponentially large number of degenerate states.
We propose a coupled-layer construction of a class of fracton topological orders in three spatial dimensions, which is characterized by spatially anisotropic mobility of quasiparticle excitations constrained in subdimensional manifolds. The simplest model is obtained by stacking and coupling layers of the two-dimensional toric codes on the square lattice and can be exactly solved in the strong-coupling limit. The resulting fracton excitations are understood as a consequence of anyon pair condensation induced by the coupling between layers. We also present generalizations of the construction fo…
We present a three-dimensional cubic lattice spin model, anisotropic in the $\hat{z}$ direction, that exhibits fracton topological order. The latter is a novel type of topological order characterized by the presence of immobile pointlike excitations, named fractons, residing at the corners of an operator with two-dimensional support. As other recent fracton models, ours exhibits a subextensive ground state degeneracy: On an $L_x\times L_y\times L_z$ three-torus, it has a $2^{2L_z}$ topological degeneracy, and an additional non-topological degeneracy equal to $2^{L_xL_y-2}$. The fractons can be…
Fractons are gapped point-like excitations in $d=3$ topological ordered phases whose motion is constrained. They have been discovered in several gapped models but a unifying physical mechanism for generating them is still missing. It has been noticed that in symmetric-tensor ${\rm U}(1)$ gauge theories, charges are fractons and cannot move freely due to, for example, the conservation of not only the charge but also the dipole moment. To connect these theories with fully gapped fracton models, we study Higgs and partial confinement mechanisms in rank-2 symmetric-tensor gauge theories, where cha…
Starting from an isotropic configuration of intersecting, two-dimensional toric codes, we construct a fracton topological phase introduced in Ref. [26], which is characterized by immobile, point- like topological excitations ("fractons"), and degenerate ground-states on the torus that are locally indistinguishable. Our proposal leads to a simple description of the fracton excitations and of the ground-state as a "loop" condensate, and provides a basis for building new 3D topological orders such as a natural, $Z_{N}$ generalization of this fracton phase, which we introduce. We describe the rich…
We study the competition between two different topological orders in three dimensions by considering the X-cube model and the three-dimensional toric code. The corresponding Hamiltonian can be decomposed into two commuting parts, one of which displays a self-dual spectrum. To determine the phase diagram, we compute the high-order series expansions of the ground-state energy in all limiting cases. Apart from the topological order related to the toric code and the fractonic order related to the X-cube model, we found two new phases which are adiabatically connected to classical limits with nontr…
A number of exactly solvable spin models, including the Kitaev toric code in two and three dimensions and the X-cube model in three dimensions, can be related to their respective parent lattice gauge theories (LGT) through the mathematical process of 'Higgsing'. Field theories of the low-energy excitations of these spin models can be developed subsequently, building upon the symmetry of the parent LGTs. Recently, two of the present authors proposed a variant of the three-dimensional toric code which we now call the F3 model, whose elementary excitations consist of freeon and fluxon excitations…
We study models with fracton-like order based on $\mathbb{Z}_2$ lattice gauge theories with subsystem symmetries in $d=2$ and $d=3$ spatial dimensions. The $3d$ model reduces to the $3$-dimensional Toric Code when subsystem symmetry is broken, giving an example of a subsystem symmetry enriched topological phase (SSET). Although not topologically protected, its ground state degeneracy has as leading contribution a term which grows exponentially with the square of the linear size of the system. Also, there are completely mobile gauge charges living along with immobile fractons. Our method shows …
There and Back Again: A Gauging Nexus between Topological and Fracton Phases
University of Chicago（芝加哥大学）；Princeton University（普林斯顿大学）；Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University（冲绳科学技术大学院大学）；Bard College（巴德学院）；Institute for Advanced Study（高等研究院）；Stony Brook University（石溪大学）；California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院）；The University of Sydney（悉尼大学）
In this work, we develop a coupled layer construction of fracton topological orders in $d=3$ spatial dimensions. These topological phases have sub-extensive topological ground-state degeneracy and possess excitations whose movement is restricted in interesting ways. Our coupled layer approach is used to construct several different fracton topological phases, both from stacked layers of simple $d=2$ topological phases and from stacks of $d=3$ fracton topological phases. This perspective allows us to shed light on the physics of the X-cube model recently introduced by Vijay, Haah, and Fu, which …
In this work, we present a collection of three-dimensional higher-order symmetry protected topological phases (HOSPTs) with gapless hinge modes that exist only in strongly interacting systems subject to subsystem symmetry constraints. We use a coupled wire construction to generate three families of microscopic lattice models: insulators with helical hinge modes, superconductors with chiral Majorana hinge modes, and fractionalized insulators with helical hinge modes that carry fractional charge. In particular, these HOSPTs do not require spatial symmetry protection, but are instead protected by…
Generally, ``fracton'' topological orders are referred to as gapped phases that support \textit{point-like topological excitations} whose mobility is, to some extent, restricted. In our previous work [Phys. Rev. B 101, 245134 (2020)], a large class of exactly solvable models on hypercubic lattices are constructed. In these models, \textit{spatially extended excitations} possess generalized fracton-like properties: not only mobility but also deformability is restricted. As a series work, in this paper, we proceed further to compute ground state degeneracy (GSD) in both isotropic and anisotropic…
We study p-string condensation mechanisms for fracton phases from the viewpoint of higher-form symmetry, focusing on the examples of the X-cube model and the rank-two symmetric-tensor U(1) scalar charge theory. This work is motivated by questions of the relationship between fracton phases and continuum quantum field theories, and also provides general principles to describe p-string condensation independent of specific lattice model constructions. We give a perspective on higher-form symmetry in lattice models in terms of cellular homology. Applying this perspective to the coupled-layer constr…
Fracton models provide examples of novel gapped quantum phases of matter that host intrinsically immobile excitations and therefore lie beyond the conventional notion of topological order. Here, we calculate optimal error thresholds for quantum error correcting codes based on fracton models. By mapping the error-correction process for bit-flip and phase-flip noises into novel statistical models with Ising variables and random multi-body couplings, we obtain models that exhibit an unconventional subsystem symmetry instead of a more usual global symmetry. We perform large-scale parallel temperin…
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 (G…
Long-range entangled quantum states -- like cat states and topological order -- are key for quantum metrology and information purposes, but they cannot be prepared by any scalable unitary process. Intriguingly, using measurements as an additional ingredient could circumvent such no-go theorems. However, efficient schemes are known for only a limited class of long-range entangled states, and their implementation on existing quantum devices via a sequence of gates and measurements is hampered by high overheads. Here we resolve these problems, proposing how to scalably prepare a broad range of lo…
We investigate how symmetry and topological order are coupled in the ${2+1}$d $\mathbb{Z}_{N}$ rank-2 toric code for general $N$, which is an exactly solvable point in the Higgs phase of a symmetric rank-2 $U(1)$ gauge theory. The symmetry enriched topological order present has a non-trivial realization of square-lattice translation (and rotation/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 lat…
Anomaly inflow for CSS and fractonic lattice models and dualities via cluster state measurement
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo（东京大学大学院人文社会系研究科）；C. N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics & Department of Physics and Astronomy, State University of New York at Stony Brook（纽约州立大学石溪分校陈省身理论物理研究所及物理与天文学系）
We consider topological entanglement entropy (TEE) at finite temperature for CSS codes, which include some ordinary topological-ordered systems such as the toric code and some fracton models such as the Haah's code and the X-cube model. We find, under the assumption that there is no extended critical phase, the finite-temperature TEE is a piecewise constant function of the temperature, with possible discontinuities only at phase transitions. We then consider phase transitions of CSS codes. We claim that there must exist a phase transition at zero temperature for any CSS codes in 2D and 3D with…
The toric code can be constructed as a gauge theory of finite groups on oriented two dimensional lattices. Here we construct analogous models with the gauge fields belonging to groupoids, which are categories where every morphism has an inverse. We show that a consistent system can be constructed for an arbitrary groupoid and analyze the simplest example that can be seen as the analog of the Abelian $\mathbb{Z}_2$ toric code. We find several exactly solvable models that have fracton-like features which include an extensive ground state degeneracy and excitations that are either immobile or hav…
Trapped neutral atoms offer a powerful route to robust simulation of complex quantum systems. We present here a stroboscopic scheme for realization of a Hamiltonian with $n$-body interactions on a set of neutral atoms trapped in an addressable optical lattice, using only 1- and 2-body physical operations together with a dissipative mechanism that allows thermalization to finite temperature or cooling to the ground state. We demonstrate this scheme with application to the toric code Hamiltonian, ground states of which can be used to robustly store quantum information when coupled to a low tempe…
We introduce a model of three-dimensional (3D) topological order enriched by planar subsystem symmetries. The model is constructed starting from the 3D toric code, whose ground state can be viewed as an equal-weight superposition of two-dimensional (2D) membrane coverings. We then decorate those membranes with 2D cluster states possessing symmetry-protected topological order under line-like subsystem symmetries. This endows the decorated model with planar subsystem symmetries under which the loop-like excitations of the toric code fractionalize, resulting in an extensive degeneracy per unit le…
Stabilizer codes are a powerful method for implementing fault-tolerant quantum memory and in the case of topological codes, they form useful models for topological phases of matter. In this paper, we discuss the theory of stabilizer codes as a discrete version of a linear gauge structure, a concept we introduce here. A linear gauge structure captures all the familiar ingredients of $U(1)$ gauge theory including a generalization of charge conservation, Maxwell equations and topological terms. Using this connection, we prove some important results for stabilizer codes which can be used to charac…
As a quantum-informative window into quantum many-body physics, the concept and application of entanglement renormalization group (ERG) have been playing a vital role in the study of novel quantum phases of matter, especially long-range entangled (LRE) states in topologically ordered systems. For instance, by recursively applying local unitaries as well as adding/removing qubits that form product states, the 2D toric code ground states, i.e., fixed point of Z_2 topological order, are efficiently coarse-grained with respect to the system size. As a further improvement, the addition/removal of 2…
The two-dimensional color code is an alternative to the toric code that encodes more logical qubits while maintaining crucial features of the $\mathbb{Z}_2\times\mathbb{Z}_2$ toric code in the long wavelength limit. However its short range physics include single qubit Pauli operations that violate either three or six stabilisers as opposed to the toric code where single qubit Pauli operations violate two or four stabilisers. Exploiting this fact we construct several non-CSS versions of the two-dimensional color code falling into two families - those where either three, four or five stabilisers…
