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arXiv · 2605.31601

Twin Phases: Intrinsic Deconfined Quantum Criticality

Alison Warman·Yuhan Gai·Sakura Schafer-Nameki
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Abstract

We introduce the concept of twin phases for a symmetry $\mathcal{S}$, defined as inequivalent phases, whose order parameters are part of the same generalized charge under $\mathcal{S}$. Stable, direct transitions between such twin phases are never spontaneous-symmetry-breaking transitions, even after (partially) gauging the initial symmetry $\mathcal{S}$: they are phase transitions without hidden symmetry breaking. We illustrate this with an (anomalous) finite group symmetry in 1+1d, which exhibits such intrinsically beyond Landau transition, i.e. an intrinsically Deconfined Quantum Critical Point (DQCP).

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Alison Warman, Yuhan Gai, Sakura Schafer-Nameki. 2026-05-29. Twin Phases: Intrinsic Deconfined Quantum Criticality. https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.31601

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