arXiv subjects

Juven Wang

Publications and source records attributed to Juven Wang.

72 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

A Solution to the 1+1D Gauged Chiral Fermion Problem

We show that the 3450 U(1) chiral fermion theory can appear as the low energy effective field theory of a 1+1D local lattice model, with an on-site U(1) symmetry and finite-range interactions. The on-site U(1) symmetry means that the U(1) symmetry can be gauged (gaugeable for both background probe and dynamical fields), which leads to a non-perturbative definition of chiral gauge theory --- a chiral fermion theory coupled to U(1) gauge theory. Our construction can be generalized to regularize any U(1)-anomaly-free 1+1D gauged chiral fermion theory with a zero chiral central charge (thus no gravitational anomaly) by a lattice, thanks to the recently proven "Poincaré dual" equivalence between the U(1) 't Hooft anomaly free condition and the U(1) symmetric interaction gapping rule, via a bosonization-fermionization technique.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2018

Unwinding Short-Range Entanglement

Symmetry-Protected Topological (SPT) phases are gapped phases of quantum matter protected by global symmetries that cannot be adiabatically deformed to a trivial phase without breaking symmetry. In this work, we show that, for several SPT phases that are short range entangled (SRE), enlarging symmetries may effectively achieve the consequences of explicitly breaking symmetries. In other words, we demonstrate that non-trivial SPT phases can be unwound to trivial ones by symmetry extension- through a path where the Hilbert space is enlarged and the Hamiltonian is invariant under an extended symmetry group applying the idea of Wang, Wen and Witten in arXiv:1705.06728. We show examples of both bosonic and fermionic SPT phases in 1+1 dimensions, including Haldane's bosonic spin chain and layers of Kitaev's fermionic Majorana chains. By adding degrees of freedom into the boundary/bulk, we can lift the zero mode degeneracy, or unwind the whole system. Furthermore, based on properties of Schur cover, we sketch a general picture of unwinding applicable to any 1+1 D bosonic SPT phase protected by on-site finite symmetry. Altogether we show that SRE states can be unwound by symmetry breaking, inversion and symmetry extension.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Time Reversal, SU(N) Yang-Mills and Cobordisms: Interacting Topological Superconductors/Insulators and Quantum Spin Liquids in 3+1D

We introduce a web of strongly correlated interacting 3+1D topological superconductors/insulators of 10 particular global symmetry groups of Cartan classes, realizable in electronic condensed matter systems, and their new SU(N) generalizations. The symmetries include SU(N), SU(2), U(1), fermion parity, time reversal and relate to each other through symmetry embeddings. We overview the lattice Hamiltonian formalism. We complete the list of field theories of bulk symmetry-protected topological invariants (SPT invariants/partition functions that exhibit boundary 't Hooft anomalies) via cobordism calculations, matching their full classification. We also present explicit 4-manifolds that detect these SPTs. On the other hand, once we dynamically gauge part of their global symmetries, we arrive in various new phases of SU(N) Yang-Mills (YM) gauge theories, analogous to quantum spin liquids with emergent gauge fields. We discuss how coupling YM theories to time reversal-SPTs affects the strongly coupled theories at low energy. For example, we point out a possibility of having two deconfined gapless time-reversal symmetric SU(2) YM theories at $θ=π$ as two distinct conformal field theories, which although are secretly indistinguishable by correlators of local operators on orientable spacetimes nor by gapped SPT states, can be distinguished on non-orientable spacetimes or potentially by correlators of extended operators.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Tunneling Topological Vacua via Extended Operators: (Spin-)TQFT Spectra and Boundary Deconfinement in Various Dimensions

Distinct quantum vacua of topologically ordered states can be tunneled into each other via extended operators. The possible applications include condensed matter and quantum cosmology. We present a straightforward approach to calculate the partition function on various manifolds and ground state degeneracy (GSD), mainly based on continuum/cochain Topological Quantum Field Theories (TQFT), in any dimension. This information can be related to the counting of extended operators of bosonic/fermionic TQFT. On the lattice scale, anyonic particles/strings live at the ends of line/surface operators. Certain systems in different dimensions are related to each other through dimensional reduction schemes, analogous to (de)categorification. Examples include spin TQFTs derived from gauging the interacting fermionic symmetry protected topological states (with fermion parity $\mathbb{Z}_2^f$) of symmetry group $\mathbb{Z}_4\times \mathbb{Z}_2$ and $(\mathbb{Z}_4)^2$ in 3+1D, also $\mathbb{Z}_2$ and $(\mathbb{Z}_2)^2$ in 2+1D. Gauging the last three cases begets non-Abelian spin TQFT/topological order. We consider situations where a TQFT lives on (1) a closed spacetime or (2) a spacetime with boundary, such that the bulk and boundary are fully-gapped and short or long-range entangled (SRE/LRE). Anyonic excitations can be deconfined on the boundary. We introduce new exotic topological interfaces on which neither particle nor string excitations alone condensed, but only fuzzy-composite objects of extended operators can end (e.g. a string-like composite object formed by a set of particles can end on a special 2+1D boundary of 3+1D bulk). We explore the relations between group extension constructions and partially breaking constructions (e.g. 0-form/higher-form/composite breaking) of topological boundaries, after gauging. We comment on the implications of entanglement entropy for some of such LRE systems.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Theory of Disordered $ν= 5/2$ Quantum Thermal Hall State: Emergent Symmetry and Phase Diagram

Fractional quantum Hall (FQH) system at Landau level filling fraction $ν=5/2$ has long been suggested to be non-Abelian, either Pfaffian (Pf) or antiPfaffian (APf) states by numerical studies, both with quantized Hall conductance $σ_{xy}=5e^2/2h$. Thermal Hall conductances of the Pf and APf states are quantized at $κ_{xy}=7/2$ and $κ_{xy}=3/2$ respectively in a proper unit. However, a recent experiment shows the thermal Hall conductance of $ν=5/2$ FQH state is $κ_{xy}=5/2$. It has been speculated that the system contains random Pf and APf domains driven by disorders, and the neutral chiral Majorana modes on the domain walls may undergo a percolation transition to a $κ_{xy}=5/2$ phase. In this work, we do perturbative and non-perturbative analyses on the domain walls between Pf and APf. We show the domain wall theory possesses an emergent SO(4) symmetry at energy scales below a threshold $Λ_1$, which is lowered to an emergent U(1)$\times$U(1) symmetry at energy scales between $Λ_1$ and a higher value $Λ_2$, and is finally lowered to the composite fermion parity symmetry $\mathbb{Z}_2^F$ above $Λ_2$. Based on the emergent symmetries, we propose a phase diagram of the disordered $ν=5/2$ FQH system, and show that a $κ_{xy}=5/2$ phase arises at disorder energy scales $Λ>Λ_1$. Furthermore, we show the gapped double-semion sector of $N_D$ compact domain walls contributes non-local topological degeneracy $2^{N_D-1}$, causing a low-temperature peak in the heat capacity. We implement a non-perturbative method to bootstrap generic topological 1+1D domain walls (2-surface defects) applicable to any 2+1D non-Abelian topological order. We identify potentially relevant spin TQFTs for various $ν= 5/2$ FQH states in terms of fermionic version of U(1)$_{\pm 8}$ Chern-Simons theory $\times \mathbb{Z}_8$-class TQFTs.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Braiding Statistics and Link Invariants of Bosonic/Fermionic Topological Quantum Matter in 2+1 and 3+1 dimensions

Topological Quantum Field Theories (TQFTs) pertinent to some emergent low energy phenomena of condensed matter lattice models in 2+1 and 3+1D are explored. Many of our field theories are highly-interacting without free quadratic analogs. Some of our bosonic TQFTs can be regarded as the continuum field theory formulation of Dijkgraaf-Witten twisted discrete gauge theories. Other bosonic TQFTs beyond the Dijkgraaf-Witten description and all fermionic spin TQFTs are either higher-form gauge theories where particles must have strings attached, or fermionic discrete gauge theories obtained by gauging the fermionic Symmetry-Protected Topological states (SPTs). We calculate both Abelian and non-Abelian braiding statistics data of anyon particle and string excitations, where the statistics data can one-to-one characterize the underlying topological orders of TQFTs. We derive path integral expectation values of links formed by line and surface operators in the TQFTs. The acquired link invariants include not only the Aharonov-Bohm linking number, but also Milnor triple linking number in 2+1D, triple and quadruple linking numbers of surfaces, and intersection number of surfaces in 3+1D. We also construct new spin TQFTs with the corresponding knot/link invariants of Arf(-Brown-Kervaire), Sato-Levine and others. We propose a new relation between the fermionic SPT partition function and Rokhlin invariant. We can use these invariants and other observables, including ground state degeneracy, reduced modular $\mathcal{S}^{xy}$ and $\mathcal{T}^{xy}$ matrices, and the partition function on $\mathbb{RP}^3$ manifold, to identify all $\mathbb{Z}_8$ classes of 2+1D gauged $\mathbb{Z}_2$-Ising-symmetric $\mathbb{Z}_2^f$-fermionic Topological Superconductors (TSC, realized by stacking layers of a pair of $p+ip$ and $p-ip$ SC, where boundary supports non-chiral Majorana-Weyl modes) with continuum spin-TQFTs.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Quantum Statistics and Spacetime Surgery

We apply the geometric-topology surgery theory on spacetime manifolds to study the constraints of quantum statistics data in 2+1 and 3+1 spacetime dimensions. First, we introduce the fusion data for worldline and worldsheet operators capable creating anyon excitations of particles and strings, well-defined in gapped states of matter with intrinsic topological orders. Second, we introduce the braiding statistics data of particles and strings, such as the geometric Berry matrices for particle-string Aharonov-Bohm and multi-loop adiabatic braiding process, encoded by submanifold linkings, in the closed spacetime 3-manifolds and 4-manifolds. Third, we derive new quantum surgery constraints analogous to Verlinde formula associating fusion and braiding statistics data via spacetime surgery, essential for defining the theory of topological orders, and potentially correlated to bootstrap boundary physics such as gapless modes, conformal field theories or quantum anomalies.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Field theory representation of gauge-gravity symmetry-protected topological invariants, group cohomology and beyond

The challenge of identifying symmetry-protected topological states (SPTs) is due to their lack of symmetry-breaking order parameters and intrinsic topological orders. For this reason, it is impossible to formulate SPTs under Ginzburg-Landau theory or probe SPTs via fractionalized bulk excitations and topology-dependent ground state degeneracy. However, the partition functions from path integrals with various symmetry twists are the universal SPT invariants defining topological probe responses, fully characterizing SPTs. In this work, we use gauge fields to represent those symmetry twists in closed spacetimes of any dimensionality and arbitrary topology. This allows us to express the SPT invariants in terms of continuum field theory. We show that SPT invariants of pure gauge actions describe the SPTs predicted by group cohomology, while the mixed gauge-gravity actions describe the beyond-group-cohomology SPTs, recently observed by Kapustin. We find new examples of mixed gauge-gravity actions for U(1) SPTs in 4+1D via mixing the gauge first Chern class with a gravitational Chern-Simons term, or viewed as a 5+1D Wess-Zumino-Witten term with a Pontryagin class. We rule out U(1) SPTs in 3+1D mixed with a Stiefel-Whitney class. We also apply our approach to the bosonic/fermionic topological insulators protected by U(1) charge and $\mathbb{Z}_2^T$ time-reversal symmetries whose pure gauge action is the axion $θ$-term. Field theory representations of SPT invariants not only serve as tools for classifying SPTs, but also guide us in designing physical probes for them. In addition, our field theory representations are independently powerful for studying group cohomology within the mathematical context.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Boundary Degeneracy of Topological Order

We introduce the concept of boundary degeneracy of topologically ordered states on a compact orientable spatial manifold with boundaries, and emphasize that the boundary degeneracy provides richer information than the bulk degeneracy. Beyond the bulk-edge correspondence, we find the ground state degeneracy of the fully gapped edge modes depends on boundary gapping conditions. By associating different types of boundary gapping conditions as different ways of particle or quasiparticle condensations on the boundary, we develop an analytic theory of gapped boundaries. By Chern-Simons theory, this allows us to derive the ground state degeneracy formula in terms of boundary gapping conditions, which encodes more than the fusion algebra of fractionalized quasiparticles. We apply our theory to Kitaev's toric code and Levin-Wen string-net models. We predict that the $Z_2$ toric code and $Z_2$ double-semion model (more generally, the $Z_k$ gauge theory and the $U(1)_k \times U(1)_{-k}$ non-chiral fractional quantum Hall state at even integer $k$) can be numerically and experimentally distinguished, by measuring their boundary degeneracy on an annulus or a cylinder.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Non-Abelian String and Particle Braiding in Topological Order: Modular SL(3,Z) Representation and 3+1D Twisted Gauge Theory

String and particle braiding statistics are examined in a class of topological orders described by discrete gauge theories with a gauge group $G$ and a 4-cocycle twist $ω_4$ of $G$'s cohomology group $\mathcal{H}^4(G,\mathbb{R}/\mathbb{Z})$ in 3 dimensional space and 1 dimensional time (3+1D). We establish the topological spin and the spin-statistics relation for the closed strings, and their multi-string braiding statistics. The 3+1D twisted gauge theory can be characterized by a representation of a modular transformation group SL$(3,\mathbb{Z})$. We express the SL$(3,\mathbb{Z})$ generators $\mathsf{S}^{xyz}$ and $\mathsf{T}^{xy}$ in terms of the gauge group $G$ and the 4-cocycle $ω_4$. As we compactify one of the spatial directions $z$ into a compact circle with a gauge flux $b$ inserted, we can use the generators $\mathsf{S}^{xy}$ and $\mathsf{T}^{xy}$ of an SL$(2,\mathbb{Z})$ subgroup to study the dimensional reduction of the 3D topological order $\mathcal{C}^{3\text{D}}$ to a direct sum of degenerate states of 2D topological orders $\mathcal{C}_b^{2\text{D}}$ in different flux $b$ sectors: $\mathcal{C}^{3\text{D}} = \oplus_b \mathcal{C}_b^{2\text{D}}$. The 2D topological orders $\mathcal{C}_b^{2\text{D}}$ are described by 2D gauge theories of the group $G$ twisted by the 3-cocycles $ω_{3(b)}$, dimensionally reduced from the 4-cocycle $ω_4$. We show that the SL$(2,\mathbb{Z})$ generators, $\mathsf{S}^{xy}$ and $\mathsf{T}^{xy}$, fully encode a particular type of three-string braiding statistics with a pattern that is the connected sum of two Hopf links. With certain 4-cocycle twists, we discover that, by threading a third string through two-string unlink into three-string Hopf-link configuration, Abelian two-string braiding statistics is promoted to non-Abelian three-string braiding statistics.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Bosonic Anomalies, Induced Fractional Quantum Numbers and Degenerate Zero Modes: the anomalous edge physics of Symmetry-Protected Topological States

The boundary of symmetry-protected topological states (SPTs) can harbor new quantum anomaly phenomena. In this work, we characterize the bosonic anomalies introduced by the 1+1D non-onsite-symmetric gapless edge modes of 2+1D bulk bosonic SPTs with a generic finite Abelian group symmetry (isomorphic to $G=\prod_i Z_{N_i}=Z_{N_1} \times Z_{N_2} \times Z_{N_3} \times ...$). We demonstrate that some classes of SPTs (termed "Type II") trap fractional quantum numbers (such as fractional $Z_N$ charges) at the 0D kink of the symmetry-breaking domain walls; while some classes of SPTs (termed "Type III") have degenerate zero energy modes (carrying the projective representation protected by the unbroken part of the symmetry), either near the 0D kink of a symmetry-breaking domain wall, or on a symmetry-preserving 1D system dimensionally reduced from a thin 2D tube with a monodromy defect 1D line embedded. More generally, the energy spectrum and conformal dimensions of gapless edge modes under an external gauge flux insertion (or twisted by a branch cut, i.e., a monodromy defect line) through the 1D ring can distinguish many SPT classes. We provide a manifest correspondence from the physical phenomena, the induced fractional quantum number and the zero energy mode degeneracy, to the mathematical concept of cocycles that appears in the group cohomology classification of SPTs, thus achieving a concrete physical materialization of the cocycles. The aforementioned edge properties are formulated in terms of a long wavelength continuum field theory involving scalar chiral bosons, as well as in terms of Matrix Product Operators and discrete quantum lattice models. Our lattice approach yields a regularization with anomalous non-onsite symmetry for the field theory description. We also formulate some bosonic anomalies in terms of the Goldstone-Wilczek formula.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Gapped Domain Walls, Gapped Boundaries and Topological Degeneracy

Gapped domain walls, as topological line defects between 2+1D topologically ordered states, are examined. We provide simple criteria to determine the existence of gapped domain walls, which apply to both Abelian and non-Abelian topological orders. Our criteria also determine which 2+1D topological orders must have gapless edge modes, namely which 1+1D global gravitational anomalies ensure gaplessness. Furthermore, we introduce a new mathematical object, the tunneling matrix $\mathcal W$, whose entries are the fusion-space dimensions $\mathcal W_{ia}$, to label different types of gapped domain walls. By studying many examples, we find evidence that the tunneling matrices are powerful quantities to classify different types of gapped domain walls. Since a gapped boundary is a gapped domain wall between a bulk topological order and the vacuum, regarded as the trivial topological order, our theory of gapped domain walls inclusively contains the theory of gapped boundaries. In addition, we derive a topological ground state degeneracy formula, applied to arbitrary orientable spatial 2-manifolds with gapped domain walls, including closed 2-manifolds and open 2-manifolds with gapped boundaries.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Twisted Gauge Theory Model of Topological Phases in Three Dimensions

We propose an exactly solvable lattice Hamiltonian model of topological phases in $3+1$ dimensions, based on a generic finite group $G$ and a $4$-cocycle $ω$ over $G$. We show that our model has topologically protected degenerate ground states and obtain the formula of its ground state degeneracy on the $3$-torus. In particular, the ground state spectrum implies the existence of purely three-dimensional looplike quasi-excitations specified by two nontrivial flux indices and one charge index. We also construct other nontrivial topological observables of the model, namely the $SL(3,\mathbb{Z})$ generators as the modular $S$ and $T$ matrices of the ground states, which yield a set of topological quantum numbers classified by $ω$ and quantities derived from $ω$. Our model fulfills a Hamiltonian extension of the $3+1$-dimensional Dijkgraaf-Witten topological gauge theory with a gauge group $G$. This work is presented to be accessible for a wide range of physicists and mathematicians.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Symmetry-protected many-body Aharonov-Bohm effect

It is known as a purely quantum effect that a magnetic flux affects the real physics of a particle, such as the energy spectrum, even if the flux does not interfere with the particle's path - the Aharonov-Bohm effect. Here we examine an Aharonov-Bohm effect on a many-body wavefunction. Specifically, we study this many-body effect on the gapless edge states of a bulk gapped phase protected by a global symmetry (such as $\mathbb{Z}_{N}$) - the symmetry-protected topological (SPT) states. The many-body analogue of spectral shifts, the twisted wavefunction and the twisted boundary realization are identified in this SPT state. An explicit lattice construction of SPT edge states is derived, and a challenge of gauging its non-onsite symmetry is overcome. Agreement is found in the twisted spectrum between a numerical lattice calculation and a conformal field theory prediction.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Symmetry-protected topological phases with charge and spin symmetries: response theory and dynamical gauge theory in 2D, 3D and the surface of 3D

A large class of symmetry-protected topological phases (SPT) in boson / spin systems have been recently predicted by the group cohomology theory. In this work, we consider SPT states at least with charge symmetry (U(1) or Z$_N$) or spin $S^z$ rotation symmetry (U(1) or Z$_N$) in 2D, 3D, and the surface of 3D. If both are U(1), we apply external electromagnetic field / `spin gauge field' to study the charge / spin response. For the SPT examples we consider (i.e. U$_c$(1)$\rtimes$Z$^T_2$, U$_s$(1)$\times$Z$^T_2$, U$_c$(1)$\times$[U$_s$(1)$\rtimes$Z$_2$]; subscripts $c$ and $s$ are short for charge and spin; Z$^T_2$ and Z$_2$ are time-reversal symmetry and $π$-rotation about $S^y$, respectively), many variants of Witten effect in the 3D SPT bulk and various versions of anomalous surface quantum Hall effect are defined and systematically investigated. If charge or spin symmetry reduces to Z$_N$ by considering charge-$N$ or spin-$N$ condensate, instead of the linear response approach, we gauge the charge/spin symmetry, leading to a dynamical gauge theory with some remaining global symmetry. The 3D dynamical gauge theory describes a symmetry-enriched topological phase (SET), i.e. a topologically ordered state with global symmetry which admits nontrivial ground state degeneracy depending on spatial manifold topology. For the SPT examples we consider, the corresponding SET states are described by dynamical topological gauge theory with topological BF term and axionic $Θ$-term in 3D bulk. And the surface of SET is described by the chiral boson theory with quantum anomaly.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2013

Schrodinger Fermi Liquids

A class of strongly interacting many-body fermionic systems in 2+1D non-relativistic conformal field theory is examined via the gauge-gravity duality correspondence. The 5D charged black hole with asymptotic Schrodinger isometry in the bulk gravity side introduces parameters of background density and finite particle number into the boundary field theory. We propose the holographic dictionary, and realize a quantum phase transition of this fermionic liquid with fixed particle number by tuning the background density $β$ at zero temperature. On the larger $β$ side, we find the signal of a sharp quasiparticle pole on the spectral function A(k,w), indicating a well-defined Fermi surface. On the smaller $β$ side, we find only a hump with no sharp peak for A(k,w), indicating the disappearance of Fermi surface. The dynamical exponent $z$ of quasiparticle dispersion goes from being Fermi-liquid-like $z\simeq1$ scaling at larger $β$ to a non-Fermi-liquid scaling $z\simeq 3/2$ at smaller $β$. By comparing the structure of Green's function with Landau Fermi liquid theory and Senthil's scaling ansatz, we further investigate the behavior of this quantum phase transition.

hep-th↗

arXiv2011

Towards a Non-Relativistic Holographic Superfluid

We explore the phase structure of a holographic toy model of superfluid states in non-relativistic conformal field theories. At low background mass density, we find a familiar second-order transition to a superfluid phase at finite temperature. Increasing the chemical potential for the probe charge density drives this transition strongly first order as the low-temperature superfluid phase merges with a thermodynamically disfavored high-temperature condensed phase. At high background mass density, the system reenters the normal phase as the temperature is lowered further, hinting at a zero-temperature quantum phase transition as the background density is varied. Given the unusual thermodynamics of the background black hole, however, it seems likely that the true ground state is another configuration altogether.

hep-th↗

arXiv2009

Bulk Viscosity of a Gas of Massless Pions

In the hadronic phase, the dominant configuration of QCD with two flavors of massless quarks is a gas of massless pions. We calculate the bulk viscosity (zeta) using the Boltzmann equation with the kinetic theory generalized to incorporate the trace anomaly. We find that the dimensionless ratio zeta/s, s being the entropy density, is monotonic increasing below T=120 MeV, where chiral perturbation theory is applicable. This, combined with previous results, shows that zeta/s reaches its maximum near the phase transition temperature Tc, while eta/s, eta being the shear viscosity, reaches its minimum near Tc in QCD with massless quarks.

hep-ph↗