arXiv subjects

Ashvin Vishwanath

Publications and source records attributed to Ashvin Vishwanath.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Single-component twisted $\mathbb{Z}_3$ orthogonal metal in an $e/3$-anyon fluid

We propose an unconventional metallic phase emerging upon doping the $1/3$ Laughlin Fractional Chern insulator, which can serve as a parent state to anyon superconductivity with arbitrary chiral central charge. It is a twisted $\mathbb{Z}_3$ orthogonal metal: a state with vanishing electron quasiparticle weight but a single well-defined Fermi surface of emergent charge-$e/3$ fermions coupled to a Dijkgraaf-Witten twisted $\mathbb{Z}_3$ gauge field. It is manifestly symmetric under the projective action of translations on the three low-energy valleys and is fully gapped in the valley sector. Pairing this fractionalized Fermi surface then removes the topological order and produces a family of superconductors whose chiral central charge is directly set by the BdG band topology of the paired $e/3$ fermions, while the angular momentum of the physical order parameter is constrained to be a multiple of three. This scenario provides a route to superconducting states beyond anyon-superconductivity constructions based on $2e/3$ anyons. The metallic phase itself carries distinctive ``fractional Fermiology'' signatures: $e/3$ shot noise, anomalous quantum oscillations, and a $6π$ ac Josephson effect when it mediates the Josephson coupling between superconductors. We construct explicit wavefunction ansatz realizing the phase, and discuss energetics considerations that might favor this state over competing metallic states. We show that the construction extends to higher Laughlin states but not to Jain states.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Self-dual $S_3$ gauge theory in 2+1d: lattice model and topological phase transitions

Electric-magnetic self-duality of the $\mathbb{Z}_2$ gauge theory, realized microscopically as a half-lattice-translation exchanging electric charge and magnetic flux, has been an influential example of a duality symmetry with an exact lattice realization. We construct the first non-Abelian generalization of this construction: a lattice model of the $S_3$ quantum double $\mathcal{D}(S_3)$ on a tensor product Hilbert space in which the $\mathbb{Z}^{\mathrm{em}}_2$ anyon-permutation symmetry, exchanging the non-Abelian chargeon $C$ and fluxon $F$, is realized via lattice translation. Consequently we find that the zigzag boundary termination of the model realizes, without fine-tuning, a gapless critical edge state described by the tetracritical Ising CFT. The bulk admits three independent $\mathbb{Z}_2^{\mathrm{em}}$-preserving bosonic perturbations, driving $\mathcal{D}(S_3)$ into distinct gapped phases. We analyze these transitions by three independent methods: category-theoretic anyon condensation, microscopic lattice Hamiltonians, and Chern-Simons-Higgs theory, which all agree, yielding a unified picture. These examples motivate a minimal-condensation principle: proliferating a bosonic anyon generically drives condensation of a minimal condensable algebra containing it, with symmetry-related condensates appearing as degenerate vacua that spontaneously break the anyon-permutation symmetry. Our model construction extends to an infinite family of self-dual dihedral quantum doubles $\mathcal{D}(D_{2n})$. Notably, each model is sign-problem-free, opening the door to large-scale numerical exploration of the phases of non-Abelian Chern-Simons-Higgs theories.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Monte Carlo Studies of Twisted Bilayer Graphene: Strain and Thermal Fluctuations

We study the phase diagram of twisted bilayer graphene at charge neutrality as a function of twist angle $θ$, uniaxial heterostrain $\varepsilon$, and temperature $T$ using sign-problem-free quantum Monte Carlo simulations. At $T=0$ and zero strain, we find a continuous transition from a Dirac semimetal to a gapped Kramers inter-valley coherent (KIVC) phase as $θ$ decreases toward the magic angle. With finite strain, the KIVC phase undergoes a further continuous transition at smaller $θ$ into an anisotropic semimetal with gapless excitations near the center of the moiré Brillouin zone. In the KIVC regime, the entropy rises sharply with temperature and plateaus at $15\,\text{K} \lesssim T \lesssim 40\,\text{K}$ near the value expected from a Mott-like regime of localized electrons with nearly uncorrelated spin, valley, and orbital degrees of freedom, despite the topological obstruction preventing a localized tight-binding description of the active bands. The spectral function evolves continuously with $θ$: at low $T$, a gap opens at the $K$ points and the minimal gap shifts to $Γ$ as $θ$ decreases; at intermediate $T$, the spectral function smoothly interpolates between a Dirac semimetal spectrum with coherent $K$-point quasiparticles and a spectrum with gapless $Γ$-centered quasiparticles near the magic angle. The later can be a anisotropic or a Mott semimetal and we discuss how to distiguish them in experiment.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Energetics of fractional anomalous Hall crystals in rhombohedral graphene

Fractional anomalous Hall crystals (FAHCs) replicate the topological order of the fractional quantum Hall effect in the continuum without requiring any external magnetic field. They spontaneously break continuous translation symmetry like a Wigner crystal, but are distinguished by each unit cell holding a fixed fractional number of electrons. Until now, these states have been confined to theoretical speculation or engineered models, leaving open the question of whether they can plausibly emerge in actual physical systems. Here, we establish them as energetically competitive candidate states in a realistic material setting. We study rhombohedral pentalayer graphene (R5G) with variational wavefunctions that are exact zero modes of a recently proposed ideal model of R5G. We evaluate their energies using Monte Carlo, after reinstating realistic dispersion and screened Coulomb interactions. We find FAHCs to be energetically competitive with integer anomalous Hall crystals and Fermi liquids, and their stability follows a simple principle. Each crystal maps onto a parent quantum Hall liquid that fixes its interaction energy, while the kinetic energy favors crystal periods that match the finite-momentum minimum of R5G's Mexican-hat dispersion. A weak periodic potential can then selectively lower and pin the commensurate fractional crystals. This picture predicts how the integer and fractional quantum anomalous Hall stability windows evolve with twist angle and displacement field, which we compare to recent experiments. These results support a continuum-and-interactions-first route to fractional anomalous Hall states in rhombohedral graphene.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Nonlocal Moments in the Chern Bands of Twisted Bilayer Graphene

Twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) has elements in common with two paradigmatic examples of strongly correlated physics: quantum Hall physics and Hubbard physics. On one hand, TBG hosts flat topological Landau-level-like bands which exhibits quantum anomalous Hall effects. On the other hand, these bands have concentrated charge density and show signs of extensive entropy resembling local moments. The combination of these features leads to a question: can decoupled moments emerge in an isolated topological band, despite the lack of exponentially localized Wannier states? In this work, we answer the question affirmatively by proposing a minimal model for these bands in TBG that combines topology and charge concentration at the AA sites, leading to analytic wavefunctions that closely approximate those of the BM model with realistic parameters. Importantly, charge concentration also leads to Berry curvature concentration at $Γ$, generating a small parameter $s$ that yields analytic tractability. We show that, rather surprisingly, the model hosts nearly decoupled flavor moments without any extra degrees of freedom. These moments are non-local due to topology-enforced power-law tails, yet have parametrically small overlap. We further develop a diagrammatic expansion in which the self energy can be computed exactly to leading order in $s^2$ in the fluctuating moment regime. At charge neutrality, we find a "Mott semimetal", with large flavor entropy and a Mott gap everywhere in the BZ except for the vicinity of the $Γ$ point. Away from neutrality, the Mott semimetal gaps out in a spectrally imbalanced manner, with one Mott band having zero $Z_k$ at the $Γ$ point. The model accurately reproduces results from finite temperature thermodynamic measurements, leads to new experimental predictions, and resolves the problem of the emergence of Hubbard physics in isolated topological bands.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Universal Gates from Braiding and Fusing Anyons on Quantum Hardware

Topological quantum computation encodes quantum information in the internal fusion space of non-Abelian anyonic quasiparticles, whose braiding implements logical gates. This goes beyond Abelian topological order (TO) such as the toric code, as its anyons lack internal structure. However, the simplest non-Abelian generalizations of the toric code do not support universality via braiding alone. Here we demonstrate that such minimally non-Abelian TOs can be made universal by treating anyon fusion as a computational primitive. We prepare a 54-qubit TO wavefunction associated with the smallest non-Abelian group, $S_3$, on Quantinuum's H2 quantum processor. This phase of matter exhibits cyclic anyon fusion rules, known to underpin universality, which we evidence by trapping a single non-Abelian anyon on the torus. We encode logical qutrits in the nonlocal fusion space of non-Abelian fluxes and, by combining an entangling braiding operation with anyon charge measurements, realize a universal topological gate set and read-out, which we further demonstrate by topologically preparing a magic state. This work establishes $S_3$ TO as simple enough to be prepared efficiently, yet rich enough to enable universal topological quantum computation.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Hidden weak-pairing superconductivity of non-interacting anyons obeying $\frac{1}{3}$ statistics

We show that a non-interacting gas of charge-$e/3$ anyons with exchange statistics $θ=-π/3$ can superconduct through a hidden weak-pairing mechanism. Such an anyon gas arises naturally in doped fractional Chern insulators at filling $1/3$ or $2/3$, where projective lattice translations enforce three degenerate anyon pockets. Exploiting this three-pocket structure, we develop a flux-attachment construction in which the average statistical flux vanishes, thereby mapping the problem to three species of composite fermions (CFs) in zero effective magnetic field. We show that the anyon statistics itself, encoded in statistical gauge field fluctuations, supplies the pairing glue and drives the CFs into a $p-\mathrm{i}p$ paired state, which corresponds to a $f-\mathrm{i}f$ physical superconductor. The CF strong-pairing phase is adiabatically connected to Laughlin's picture of anyon superconductivity, where charge-$e/3$ anyons bind into charge-$2e/3$ molecules, which then lead to superconductivity. By contrast, the more natural weak-pairing phase of CFs realizes a distinct superconducting phase - its edge is characterized by a chiral central charge $c_-=-1/2$, in contrast to the prediction of integer $c_-$ for the anyon superconductor based on Laughlin's picture, thereby resolving the discrepancy between previous theories and recent numerical results. Our theory provides a natural framework for understanding superconductivity near fractional Chern insulators, as observed in recent experiments. Finally, we discuss extensions of our theory that predict new chiral superconductors adjacent to FCIs at other fillings.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Mixed-state topological order and the errorfield double formulation of decoherence-induced transitions

We develop an effective field theory characterizing the impact of decoherence on states with abelian topological order and on their capacity to protect quantum information. The decoherence appears as a temporal defect in the double topological quantum field theory that describes the pure density matrix of the uncorrupted state, and it drives a boundary phase transition involving anyon condensation at a critical coupling strength. The ensuing decoherence-induced phases and the loss of quantum information are classified by the Lagrangian subgroups of the double topological order. Our framework generalizes the error recovery transitions, previously derived for certain stabilizer codes, to generic topologically ordered states and shows that they stem from phase transitions in the intrinsic topological order characterizing the mixed state.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Anyon superfluidity of excitons in quantum Hall bilayers

The charged anyons of a fractional quantum Hall fluid are necessarily dispersionless due to the continuous magnetic translation symmetry. Neutral anyons, however, can disperse, resulting in a much richer space of possible ``daughter'' states when doped to finite density. We discuss a natural realization of such physics in quantum Hall bilayers, where a finite density of excitons with fractional statistics is argued to give rise to `anyonic exciton superfluidity,' the charge-neutral analog of anyon superconductivity. In a balanced bilayer of two Laughlin $ν= 1/3$ states, the minimal interlayer exciton carries anyonic exchange statistics. A finite density of these excitons is argued to yield an exciton superfluid stitched to a specific bulk topological order and edge spectrum. Such superfluidity should be most robust near the direct transition into the Halperin $(112)$ state, and near analogous transitions in the bilayer Jain sequence at total filling $ν_\text{T} = 2\times \frac{n}{2n+1}$. These topological transitions can be described by Chern-Simons QED$_3$, from which we derive several novel and general properties of anyon superfluidity near such transitions, including an anomalously large superfluid stiffness of $κ_\text{s} \propto |δν|^{1/2}$ at layer imbalance fraction $δν$. A notable feature of the phase diagrams we construct is the prevalence of spatial symmetry breaking, driven by an underlying composite Fermi surface. Our results can be directly tested with currently available experimental techniques. We compare our theory with existing data and make concrete predictions for future measurements, including higher-pseudospin exciton superfluids when doping higher Jain fractions.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Crystals Caught Doping: Metallic Wigner Crystals in Rhombohedral Graphene

Nearly a century after Wigner's initial proposal, electron crystals are now a topic of intense experimental and theoretical interest. However, most proposed crystalline phases are commensurate and therefore become insulating in the presence of even weak pinning. In this work we discuss when a commensurate Wigner crystal will spontaneously self dope and develop itinerant carriers, giving rise to an incommensurate and thus metallic Wigner crystal (MWC). We develop a general criterion for the instability of the commensurate crystal which involves the competition between the charge gap at commensurability and a ``packing bias'' whose sign selects whether electron or hole doping is preferred. We then apply these insights to rhombohedral multilayer graphene, where calculations for commensurate crystals reveal instabilities towards self-doping. Carrying out self-consistent Hartree-Fock over the landscape of incommensurate crystals reveals the phase diagram, where a broad MWC phase appears directly adjacent to an insulating Wigner crystal phase. Recent observations of an island of reversed Hall conductance near a putative Wigner crystal phase in rhombohedral graphene are naturally explained by our theory.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Topological constraint on crystalline current

How much current does a sliding electron crystal carry? The answer to this simple question has important implications for the dynamic properties of the crystal, such as the frequency of its cyclotron motion, and its phonon spectrum. In this work we introduce a precise definition of a sliding crystal and compute the corresponding current $\mathbf{j}_c$ for topological electron crystals in the presence of magnetic field. Our result is fully non-perturbative, does not rely on Galilean invariance, and applies equally to Wigner crystals and (anomalous) Hall crystals. In terms of the electron density $ρ$ and magnetic flux density $ϕ$, we find that $\mathbf{j}_c = e(ρ-Cϕ)\mathbf{v}$. Surprisingly, the current receives a contribution from the many-body Chern number $C$ of the crystal. When $ρ= Cϕ$, sliding crystals therefore carry zero current. The crystalline current fixes the Lorentz force felt by the sliding crystal and the dispersion of low-energy phonons of such crystals. This gives us a simple counting rule for the number of gapless phonons: if a sliding crystal carries nonzero current in a magnetic field, there is a single gapless mode, while otherwise there are two gapless modes. This result can also be understood from anomaly-matching of emanant discrete translation symmetries -- an idea that is also applicable to the dispersion of skyrmion crystals. Our results lead to novel experimental implications and invite further conceptual developments for electron crystals.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Charge-$4e$ superconductor with parafermionic vortices: A path to universal topological quantum computation

Topological superconductors (TSCs) provide a promising route to fault-tolerant quantum information processing. However, the canonical Majorana platform based on $2e$ TSCs remains computationally constrained. In this work, we find a $4e$ TSC that overcomes these constraints by combining a charge-$4e$ condensate with an Abelian chiral $\mathbb{Z}_3$ topological order in an intertwined fashion. Remarkably, this $4e$ TSC can be obtained by proliferating vortex-antivortex pairs in a stack of two $2e$ $p+ip$ TSCs, or by melting a $ν=2/3$ quantum Hall state. Specific to this TSC, the $hc/(4e)$ fluxes act as charge-conjugation defects in the topological order, whose braiding with anyons transmutes anyons into their antiparticles. This symmetry enrichment leads to $\mathbb{Z}_3$ parafermion zero modes trapped in the elementary vortex cores, which naturally encode qutrits. Braiding the parafermion defects alone generates the full many-qutrit Clifford group. We further show that a single-probe interferometric measurement enables topologically protected magic-state preparation, promoting Clifford operations to a universal gate set. Because the non-Abelian modes are bound to flux defects, they can, in principle, be externally controlled using superconducting circuit-based technology. More broadly, our results highlight hierarchical electron aggregation, the formation and condensation of higher-charge electron clusters, as a design principle for topological quantum matter with increased computational capability.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Gradient-based search of quantum phases: discovering unconventional fractional Chern insulators

The discovery and understanding of new quantum phases has time and again transformed both fundamental physics and technology, yet progress often relies on slow, intuition-based theoretical considerations or experimental serendipity. Here, we introduce a general gradient-based framework for targeted phase discovery. We define a differentiable function, dubbed "target-phase loss function", which encodes fingerprints of a quantum state, thereby recasting phase search as a tractable optimization problem in Hamiltonian space. The method is broadly applicable to a wide range of symmetry-broken and topological orders and can be interfaced with most many-body numerical solvers. As a demonstration, we apply it to spinless fermions on the kagome lattice using exact diagonalization and discover two distinctive fractional Chern insulators (FCIs): (i) at filling $ν= 1/3$, a "non-ideal" Abelian FCI whose band geometry lies far beyond the Landau-level mimicry paradigm and all recent generalizations; and (ii) at $ν= 1/2$, a non-Abelian FCI stabilized purely by finite-range two-body interactions. These results provide the first explicit realization of such types of FCIs and establish a versatile paradigm for systematic quantum-phase discovery.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Moiré in $Γ$-valley square lattice: Copper- and iron-based superconductor simulation in a single device

Novel superconducting phases have been found in various moiré heterostructures based on hexagonal lattices. However, the archetypal high-temperature superconductors (cuprates, iron-based and nickelate families) all share a square lattice foundation. These materials host a rich landscape of correlated phenomena, such as charge and spin stripes, pseudogap behavior, and unconventional metallicity, which continue to challenge our fundamental understanding of strongly correlated electrons. In this work, we investigate the possibility of simulating the effective models governing these high-$T_c$ superconductors using twisted homobilayers of $Γ$-valley square-lattice systems. We develop a universal theoretical framework and carry out a detailed analysis of a promising candidate material ZnF$_2$. We find that the first moiré band realizes a single-orbital square-lattice Hubbard model, widely believed to capture cuprate physics, while the second and third moiré bands map to a $p_x,p_y$ two-orbital square-lattice Hubbard model, which shares common physics to the minimal $d_{xz}, d_{yz}$ models proposed for iron pnictides. Our study combines continuum Hamiltonian modeling, first-principle calculations, and Hartree-Fock mean field theory. The latter focuses on the quarter-filling regime of the two-orbital model and in particular leads to, among others, a stable antiferro-orbital, ferromagnetic insulating phase. These results highlight $Γ$-valley square-lattice moiré systems as a new and important generation of van der Waals heterostructures to realize interesting strongly correlated phases of matter.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Controlled localization of anyons in a graphene quantum Hall interferometer

Exchange statistics are a fundamental principle of quantum mechanics, dictating the symmetry of identical particle wavefunctions and thereby enabling emergent phenomena of many-body quantum states. The exchange-induced unitary transformation of both abelian and non-abelian anyonic wavefunctions can be probed using electronic fractional quantum Hall (FQH) interferometers, where quasiparticles propagating along the interfering FQH edge braid with those localized within the interferometer. Here, we add a gate-controlled dot/anti-dot in the center of a bilayer graphene FQH interferometer cavity to tune the number of enclosed anyons. We observe hundreds of controlled phase slips in the diagonal conductance across the interferometer for both abelian and non-abelian states, consistent with discrete changes in the localized quasiparticle population. For abelian anyons, the observed phase slips agree with the theoretically expected value. At half filling, our results suggest the interfering edge carries charge $|e^*/e| = 1/2$ abelian excitations, whereas charge $|e^*/e| = 1/4$ putative non-abelian anyons remain localized in the interferometer cavity. Controlling the population of localized $e/4$ anyons in an interferometer marks a significant milestone towards observing their non-local exchange statistics and building a fault tolerant topological qubit based on non-abelian anyon manipulation.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Microscopic Mechanism of Anyon Superconductivity Emerging from Fractional Chern Insulators

Fractional quantum Hall (FQH) states and superconductors typically require contrasting conditions, yet recent experiments have observed them in the same device. A natural explanation is that mobile anyons give rise to superconductivity; however, this mechanism requires binding of minimally charged anyons to establish an unusual energy hierarchy. This scenario has mostly been studied with effective theories, leaving open the question of how anyon superconductivity can arise from repulsive interactions. Here, we show that such an energy hierarchy of anyons arises naturally in fractional Chern insulators (FCIs) at fillings $ν= 2/(4p \mp 1)$ when they are driven toward a quantum phase transition into a ``semion crystal'' -- an exotic charge-density-wave (CDW) insulator with semion topological order. Near the transition, Cooper-pair correlations are enhanced, so that a conventional charge-2e superconductor appears with doping. Guided by these insights, we analyze a microscopic realization in a repulsive Hubbard-Hofstadter model. Tensor network simulations at $ν= 2/3$ reveal a robust FCI that, with increasing interactions, transitions into the semion crystal. Finding a stable semion crystal in such a minimal model highlights it as a viable state competing with conventional CDW and FQH states. In the vicinity of this transition, we find markedly enhanced Cooper pairing, consistent with our theory that the 2e/3 anyon is cheaper than a pair of isolated e/3 anyons. Doping near the transition should in general lead to doping Cooper pairs and charge-2e superconductivity, with chiral edge modes of alternating central charge $c = \pm2$, which can coexist with translation symmetry breaking. Our framework unifies recent approaches to anyon superconductivity, reconciles it with strong repulsion and provides guidance for flat band moiré materials such as recent experiments in twisted MoTe$_2$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Quantum Geometry Driven Crystallization: A Neural-Network Variational Monte Carlo Study

Wigner crystals are a paradigmatic form of interaction driven electronic order. A key open question is how Berry curvature and, more generally, quantum geometry reshape crystallization. The discovery of two-dimensional materials with relatively flat bands and pronounced Berry curvature has added fresh urgency to this question. Recent mean-field studies have proposed a topological variant of the Wigner crystal, the anomalous Hall crystal (AHC), with non-zero Chern number. However it remains unclear whether the AHC survives beyond the mean-field approximation. Here, we map out the ground-state phase diagram of the $λ$-jellium model - a simple model whose interaction strength and Berry curvature are independently tunable - using state-of-the-art neural-network variational Monte Carlo. The AHC is found to remain stable against quantum fluctuations. Surprisingly, quantum geometric effects are found to dramatically enhance crystallization. Both the AHC and the standard Wigner Crystal are stabilized at densities up to an order of magnitude above the critical density in the absence of quantum geometry, yet still significantly below the threshold predicted by mean-field theory. These striking results highlight the rich interplay between quantum fluctuations, quantum geometry, and crystallization, providing concrete guidance for experiments and enabling future explorations of fractionalized crystals and chiral superconductors.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Minimal two band model and experimental proposals to distinguish pairing mechanisms of the high-T$_c$ superconductor La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$

The discovery of high-T$_c$ superconductivity in La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$ has opened the door to a new route to high temperature superconductivity, distinct from that in cuprates and iron-based materials. Yet, despite intense recent activity, we lack experimentally testable protocols for distinguishing between different pairing scenarios. In this Letter, we construct a minimal two-band model that reproduces the Fermi-surface topology observed in recent ARPES measurements and DFT calculations, and we analyze superconductivity arising from two distinct pairing mechanisms. We show that these mechanisms yield sharply different responses to an applied perpendicular electric field. Thus, La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$ offers the unique opportunity to cleanly distinguish between different pairing scenarios. Finally, we propose three concrete experimental proposals designed to distinguish these scenarios and thereby identify the pairing mechanism most relevant to the real material.

cond-mat.str-el↗