arXiv subjects

Jing-Yuan Chen

Publications and source records attributed to Jing-Yuan Chen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

On the Thermal Transport Puzzles in $α$-RuCl$_3$

Thermal transport has been used to probe the nature of $α$-RuCl$_3$, an important candidate of Kitaev material. Two remarkable observations were made under applied magnetic fields at low temperatures, and have stimulated extensive discussions. One is a sizable thermal Hall effect, and the other is an apparent "oscillation" of the longitudinal thermal conductivity with the magnetic field. It has been proposed that the former is due to a bosonic Chern band. Meanwhile, the origin of the latter has largely remained obscure. This work aims to resolve this "oscillation" puzzle. By examining the thermal transport data as well as other measured properties of $α$-RuCl$_3$, we argue that the most plausible scenario is that of phonons scattering with spin degrees of freedom across multiple phases. We substantiate this picture into a phenomenological theory, which reproduces the "oscillation" behavior in a simple manner and makes predictions that can be examined by future experiments. Moreover, our phenomenological theory and the aforementioned proposal for the thermal Hall effect support each other. We hope this work can thus help settle the physical mechanism behind the thermal transport puzzles in $α$-RuCl$_3$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Framing Anomaly in Lattice Chern-Simons-Maxwell Theory

Framing anomaly is a key property of $(2+1)d$ chiral topological orders, for it reveals that the chirality is an intrinsic bulk property of the system, rather than a property of the boundary between two systems. Understanding framing anomaly in lattice models is particularly interesting, as concrete, solvable lattice models of chiral topological orders are rare. In a recent work, we defined and solved the $U(1)$ Chern-Simons-Maxwell theory on spacetime lattice, showing its chiral edge mode and the associated gravitational anomaly on boundary. In this work, we show its framing anomaly in the absence of boundary, by computing the expectation of a lattice version of the modular $T$ operator in the ground subspace on a spatial torus, from which we extract that $\langle T \rangle$ has a universal phase of $-2π/12$ as expected: $-2π/8$ from the Gauss-Milgram sum of the topological spins of the ground states, and $2π/24$ from the framing anomaly; we can also extract the $2π/24$ framing anomaly phase alone from the full spectrum of $T$ in the ground subspace by computing $\langle T^m \rangle$. This pins down the last and most crucial property required for a valid lattice definition of $U(1)$ Chern-Simons theory.

hep-th↗

arXiv2025

Instanton Density Operator in Lattice QCD from Higher Category Theory

A natural definition for instanton density operator in lattice QCD has long been desired. We show this problem is, and has to be, solved by higher category theory. The problem is solved by refining at a conceptual level the Yang-Mills theory on lattice, in order to recover the homotopy information in the continuum, which would have been lost if we put the theory on lattice in the traditional way. The refinement needed is a generalization--through the lens of higher category theory--of the familiar process of Villainization that captures winding in lattice XY model and Dirac quantization in lattice Maxwell theory. The apparent difference is that Villainization is in the end described by principal bundles, hence familiar, but more general topological operators can only be captured on the lattice by more flexible structures beyond the usual group theory and fibre bundles, making the language of categories natural and necessary. The key structure we need for our particular problem is called multiplicative bundle gerbe, based upon which we can construct suitable structures to naturally define the 2d Wess-Zumino-Witten term, 3d skyrmion density operator and 4d hedgehog defect for lattice $S^3$ pion vacua non-linear sigma model, and the 3d Chern-Simons term, 4d instanton density operator and 5d Yang monopole defect for lattice $SU(N)$ Yang-Mills theory; the structures behind the non-linear sigma model and the Yang-Mills theory are related via an implicit Yang-Baxter equation. In a broader perspective, higher category theory enables us to rethink more systematically the relation between continuum quantum field theory and lattice quantum field theory. We sketch a proposal towards a general machinery that constructs the suitably refined lattice degrees of freedom for a given non-linear sigma model or gauge theory in the continuum, realizing the desired topological operators on the lattice.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2025

Lattice Chern-Simons-Maxwell Theory and its Chirality

We define and solve the $\text{U(1)}$ Chern-Simons-Maxwell theory on spacetime lattice, with an emphasis on the chirality of the theory. Realizing Chern-Simons theory on lattice has been a problem of interest for decades, and over the years it has gradually become clear that there are two key points: 1) Some non-topological term, such as a Maxwell term, is necessary -- this is true even in the continuum, but more manifestly on the lattice; 2) the $\text{U(1)}$ gauge field should be implemented in the Villainized form to retain its topological properties. Putting the two ideas together seriously, we show all interesting properties of a chiral Chern-Simons theory are reproduced in an explicitly regularized manner on the lattice. These include the bosonic and fermionic level quantization, the bulk and chiral edge spectrum, the Wilson loop flux attachment (with point-split framing or geometric framing depending on the Maxwell coupling), the Wilson loop spin, the ground state degeneracy, and, most non-trivially, the chiral gravitational anomaly.

hep-th↗

arXiv2025

An Explicit Categorical Construction of Instanton Density in Lattice Yang-Mills Theory

Since the inception of lattice QCD, a natural definition for the Yang-Mills instanton on lattice has been long sought for. In a recent work, one of authors showed the natural solution has to be organized in terms of bundle gerbes in higher homotopy theory / higher category theory, and introduced the principles for such a categorical construction. To pave the way towards actual numerical implementation in the near future, nonetheless, an explicit construction is necessary. In this paper we provide such an explicit construction for $SU(2)$ gauge theory, with technical aspects inspired by Lüscher's 1982 geometrical construction. We will see how the latter is in a suitable sense a saddle point approximation to the full categorical construction. The generalization to $SU(N)$ will be discussed. The construction also allows for a natural definition of lattice Chern-Simons-Yang-Mills theory in three spacetime dimensions.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2024

A Discrete Formulation of Second Stiefel-Whitney Class for Band Theory

Topological invariants in band theory are often formulated assuming that Bloch wave functions are smoothly defined over the Brillouin zone (BZ). However, first-principles band calculations typically provide Bloch states only at discrete points in the BZ, rendering standard continuum-based approaches inapplicable. In this work, we focus on the second Stiefel-Whitney class $w_2$, a key $\mathbb{Z}_2$ topological invariant under PT symmetry that characterizes various higher-order topological insulators and nodal-line semimetals. We develop a fully discrete, gauge-fixing-free formula for $w_2$ which depends solely on the Bloch states sampled at discrete BZ points. Furthermore, we clarify how our discrete construction connects to lattice field theory, providing a unifying perspective that benefits both high-energy and condensed matter approaches.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Fractional Hall Conductivity and Spin-c Structure in Solvable Lattice Hamiltonians

The Kapustin-Fidkowski no-go theorem forbids $U(1)$ symmetric topological orders with non-trivial Hall conductivity in (2+1)d from admitting commuting projector Hamiltonians, where the latter is the paradigmatic method to construct exactly solvable lattice models for topological orders. Even if a topological order would intrinsically have admitted commuting projector Hamiltonians, the theorem forbids so once its interplay with $U(1)$ global symmetry which generates Hall conductivity is taken into consideration. Nonetheless, in this work, we show that for all (2+1)d $U(1)$ symmetric abelian topological orders of such kind, we can construct a lattice Hamiltonian that is controllably solvable at low energies, even though not "exactly" solvable; hence, this no-go theorem does not lead to significant difficulty in the lattice study of these topological orders. Moreover, for the fermionic topological orders in our construction, we introduce the lattice notion of spin-c structure -- a concept important in the continuum that has previously not been adequately introduced in the lattice context.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Large extrinsic phonon thermal Hall effect from resonant scattering

Recent experimental observations of unexpectedly large thermal Hall conductivities, $κ_H$, in insulating materials, including the parent compounds of the high temperature superconducting cuprates, likely reflect an extrinsic contribution from a yet to be identified extrinsic source of skew scattering of acoustic phonons. We show that resonant scattering of phonons from a certain class of three-level systems produces strong skew scattering in the presence of a modest magnetic field. We interpret this as a first step towards understanding the experiments.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Solvable Lattice Hamiltonians with Fractional Hall Conductivity

We construct a class of lattice Hamiltonians that exhibit fractional Hall conductivity. These Hamiltonians, while not being exactly solvable, can be controllably solved in their low energy sectors, through a combination of perturbative and exact techniques. Our construction demonstrates a systematic way to circumvent the Kapustin-Fidkowski no-go theorem and is generalizable.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Abelian Topological Order on Lattice Enriched with Electromagnetic Background

In topological phases of matter, the interplay between intrinsic topological order and global symmetry is an interesting task. In the study of topological orders with discrete global symmetry, an important systematic approach is the construction of exactly soluble lattice models. However, for continuous global symmetry, in particular the electromagnetic $U(1)$, the lattice approach has been less systematically developed. In this paper, we introduce a systematic construction of effective theories for a large class of abelian topological orders on three-dimensional spacetime lattice with electromagnetic background. We discuss the associated topological properties, including the Hall conductivity and the spin-c nature of the electromagnetic background. Some of these effective spacetime lattice theories can be readily mapped to microscopic Hamiltonians on spatial lattice; others may also shed light on their possible microscopic Hamiltonian realizations. Our approach is based on the gauging of $1$-form $\mathbb{Z}$ symmetries. Our construction is naturally related to the continuum path integral of (doubled) $U(1)$ Chern-Simons theory, through the latter's formal description in terms of Deligne-Beilinson cohomology; when the global symmetry is dropped, our construction can be reduced to the Dijkgraaf-Witten model of associated abelian topological orders, as expected.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Enhanced thermal Hall effect in nearly ferroelectric insulators

In the context of recent experimental observations of an unexpectedly large thermal Hall conductivity, $κ_H$, in insulating $\mathrm{La_2CuO_4}$ (LCO) and $\mathrm{SrTiO_3}$ (STO), we theoretically explore conditions under which acoustic phonons can give rise to such a large $κ_H$. Both the intrinsic and extrinsic contributions to $κ_H$ are large in proportion to the dielectric constant, $ε$, and the flexoelectric coupling, $F$. While the intrinsic contribution is still orders of magnitude smaller than the observed effect, an extrinsic contribution proportional to the phonon mean free path appears likely to account for the observations, at least in STO. We predict a larger intrinsic $κ_H$ in certain insulating perovskites.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Berry Fermi Liquid Theory

We develop an extension of the Landau Fermi liquid theory to systems of interacting fermions with non-trivial Berry curvature. We propose a kinetic equation and a constitutive relation for the electromagnetic current that together encode the linear response of such systems to external electromagnetic perturbations, to leading and next-to-leading orders in the expansion over the frequency and wave number of the perturbations. We analyze the Feynman diagrams in a large class of interacting quantum field theories and show that, after summing up all orders in perturbation theory, the current-current correlator exactly matches with the result obtained from the kinetic theory.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Doubling Theorem and Boundary States of Five-Dimensional Weyl Semimetal

We study the generic band structures of the five-dimensional (5D) Weyl semimetal, in which the band degeneracies are 2D Weyl surfaces in the momentum space, and may have non-trivial linkings with each other if they carry nonzero second Chern numbers. We prove a number of theorems constraining the topological linking configurations of the Weyl surfaces, which can be viewed as a 5D generalization of the celebrated Doubling Theorem for 3D Weyl semimetal. As a direct physical consequence of these constraints, the 5D Weyl semimetal hosts a rich structure of topological boundary states. We show that on the 4D boundary of the 5D Weyl semimetal, there are 3D chiral Fermi hypersurfaces protected by bulk Weyl surfaces. On top of that, for bulk Weyl surfaces that are linked and carry nonzero second Chern numbers, the associated boundary 3D Fermi hypersurfaces will shrink to singularities at certain energies, which trace out a protected 1D Weyl nodal arc, in analogy to the Fermi arc on the 3D Weyl semimetal surface.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Duality Web on a 3D Euclidean Lattice and Manifestation of Hidden Symmetries

We generalize our previous lattice construction of the abelian bosonization duality in $2+1$ dimensions to the entire web of dualities as well as the $N_f=2$ self-duality, via the lattice implementation of a set of modular transformations in the theory space. The microscopic construction provides explicit operator mappings, and allows the manifestation of some hidden symmetries. It also exposes certain caveats and implicit assumptions beneath the usual application of the modular transformations to generate the web of dualities. Finally, we make brief comments on the non-relativistic limit of the dualities.

hep-th↗

arXiv2018

Strong-Weak Chern-Simons-Matter Dualities from a Lattice Construction

We provide a lattice demonstration of $(2+1)$-dimensional field theory dualities relating free Dirac or Majorana fermions to strongly-interacting bosonic Chern-Simons-matter theories. Specifically, we prove the recent conjecture that $U(N)$ level-1 with $N_f$ gauged complex Wilson-Fisher scalars (where $1\le N_f\le N$) is dual to $N_f$ Dirac fermions, as well as the analogous conjecture relating $SO(N)$ theories with real Wilson-Fisher scalars to Majorana fermions for $1\le N_f\le N-2$. Furthermore, we discover new dualities that allow us to explain the interesting phase structure of the $SO(N)$ theories with $N-1$ and $N$ scalars, for all $N\ge 2$.

hep-th↗

arXiv2018

Experimental Two-dimensional Quantum Walk on a Photonic Chip

Quantum walks, in virtue of the coherent superposition and quantum interference, possess exponential superiority over its classical counterpart in applications of quantum searching and quantum simulation. The quantum enhanced power is highly related to the state space of quantum walks, which can be expanded by enlarging the photon number and/or the dimensions of the evolution network, but the former is considerably challenging due to probabilistic generation of single photons and multiplicative loss. Here we demonstrate a two-dimensional continuous-time quantum walk by using the external geometry of photonic waveguide arrays, rather than the inner degree of freedoms of photons. Using femtosecond laser direct writing, we construct a large-scale three-dimensional structure which forms a two-dimensional lattice with up to 49X49 nodes on a photonic chip. We demonstrate spatial two-dimensional quantum walks using heralded single photons and single-photon-level imaging. We analyze the quantum transport properties via observing the ballistic evolution pattern and the variance profile, which agree well with simulation results. We further reveal the transient nature that is the unique feature for quantum walks of beyond one dimension. An architecture that allows a walk to freely evolve in all directions and a large scale, combining with defect and disorder control, may bring up powerful and versatile quantum walk machines for classically intractable problems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Exact Boson-Fermion Duality on a 3D Euclidean Lattice

The idea of statistical transmutation plays a crucial role in descriptions of the fractional quantum Hall effect. However, a recently conjectured duality between a critical boson and a massless 2-component Dirac fermion extends this notion to gapless systems. This duality sheds light on highly non-trivial problems such as the half-filled Landau level, the superconductor-insulator transition, and surface states of strongly coupled topological insulators. Although this boson-fermion duality has undergone many consistency checks, it has remained unproven. We describe the duality in a non-perturbative fashion using an exact UV mapping of partition functions on a 3D Euclidean lattice.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Static Magnetic Response of Non-Fermi Liquid Density

We consider the response of the density of a fermion ensemble to an applied weak static magnetic field. It is known that for non-interacting Fermi gas, this response is fully characterized by the Fermi volume and the Berry curvature on the Fermi surface. Here we show the same result holds for interacting fermions, including Fermi liquid and non-Fermi liquid, to all orders in perturbation theory. Our result relies only on the assumption of a well-defined Fermi surface and the general analytic properties of quantum field theory, and is completely model independent.

cond-mat.str-el↗