Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• Conformal geometry from entanglement

  Isaac H. Kim, Xiang Li, Ting-Chun Lin, John McGreevy, Bowen Shi

  SciPost Phys. 18, 102 (2025) · published 19 March 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  In a physical system with conformal symmetry, observables depend on cross-ratios, measures of distance invariant under global conformal transformations (conformal geometry for short). We identify a quantum information-theoretic mechanism by which the conformal geometry emerges at the gapless edge of a 2+1D quantum many-body system with a bulk energy gap. We introduce a novel pair of information-theoretic quantities $(\mathfrak{c}_{\textrm{tot}}, \eta)$ that can be defined locally on the edge from the wavefunction of the many-body system, without prior knowledge of any distance measure. We posit that, for a topological groundstate, the quantity $\mathfrak{c}_{\textrm{tot}}$ is stationary under arbitrary variations of the quantum state, and study the logical consequences. We show that stationarity, modulo an entanglement-based assumption about the bulk, implies (i) $\mathfrak{c}_{\textrm{tot}}$ is a non-negative constant that can be interpreted as the total central charge of the edge theory. (ii) $\eta$ is a cross-ratio, obeying the full set of mathematical consistency rules, which further indicates the existence of a distance measure of the edge with global conformal invariance. Thus, the conformal geometry emerges from a simple assumption on groundstate entanglement. We show that stationarity of $\mathfrak{c}_{\textrm{tot}}$ is equivalent to a vector fixed-point equation involving $\eta$, making our assumption locally checkable. We also derive similar results for 1+1D systems under a suitable set of assumptions.

  1 citation

• Fusion and monodromy in the Temperley-Lieb category

  Jonathan Belletête, Yvan Saint-Aubin

  SciPost Phys. 5, 041 (2018) · published 31 October 2018 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Graham and Lehrer (1998) introduced a Temperley-Lieb category $\mathsf{\widetilde{TL}}$ whose objects are the non-negative integers and the morphisms in $\mathsf{Hom}(n,m)$ are the link diagrams from $n$ to $m$ nodes. The Temperley-Lieb algebra $\mathsf{TL}_{n}$ is identified with $\mathsf{Hom}(n,n)$. The category $\mathsf{\widetilde{TL}}$ is shown to be monoidal. We show that it is also a braided category by constructing explicitly a commutor. A twist is also defined on $\mathsf{\widetilde{TL}}$. We introduce a module category ${\text{ Mod}_{\mathsf{\widetilde{TL}}}}$ whose objects are functors from $\mathsf{\widetilde{TL}}$ to $\mathsf{Vect}_{\mathbb C}$ and define on it a fusion bifunctor extending the one introduced by Read and Saleur (2007). We use the natural morphisms constructed for $\mathsf{\widetilde{TL}}$ to induce the structure of a ribbon category on ${\text{ Mod}_{\mathsf{\widetilde{TL}}}}(\beta=-q-q^{-1})$, when $q$ is not a root of unity. We discuss how the braiding on $\mathsf{\widetilde{TL}}$ and integrability of statistical models are related. The extension of these structures to the family of dilute Temperley-Lieb algebras is also discussed.

  1 citation

• Lacing topological orders in two dimensions: Exactly solvable models for Kitaev's sixteen-fold way

  Jin-Tao Jin, Jian-Jian Miao, Yi Zhou

  SciPost Phys. 14, 087 (2023) · published 1 May 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  A family of two-dimensional (2D) spin-1/2 models have been constructed to realize Kitaev's sixteen-fold way of anyon theories. Defining a one-dimensional (1D) path through all the lattice sites, and performing the Jordan-Wigner transformation with the help of the 1D path, we find that such a spin-1/2 model is equivalent to a model with $\nu$ species of Majorana fermions coupled to a static $\mathbb{Z}_2$ gauge field. Here each species of Majorana fermions gives rise to an energy band that carries a Chern number $\mathcal{C}=1$, yielding a total Chern number $\mathcal{C}=\nu$. It has been shown that the ground states are three (four)-fold topologically degenerate on a torus, when $\nu$ is an odd (even) number. These exactly solvable models can be achieved by quantum simulations.

  1 citation

• Integrable models on Rydberg atom chains

  Luke Corcoran, Marius de Leeuw, Balázs Pozsgay

  SciPost Phys. 18, 139 (2025) · published 25 April 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We initiate a systematic study of integrable models for spin chains with constrained Hilbert spaces; we focus on spin-1/2 chains with the Rydberg constraint. We extend earlier results for medium-range spin chains to the constrained Hilbert space, and formulate an integrability condition. This enables us to construct new integrable models with fixed interaction ranges. We classify all time- and space-reflection symmetric integrable Rydberg-constrained Hamiltonians of range 3 and 4. At range 3, we find a single family of integrable Hamiltonians: the so-called RSOS quantum chains, which are related to the well-known RSOS models of Andrews, Baxter, and Forrester. At range 4 we find two families of models, the first of which is the constrained XXZ model. We also find a new family of models depending on a single coupling $z$. We provide evidence of two critical points related to the golden ratio $\phi$, at $z=\phi^{-1/2}$ and $z=\phi^{3/2}$. We also perform a partial classification of integrable Hamiltonians for range 5.

  1 citation

• Unifying description of the damping regimes of a stochastic particle in a periodic potential

  Antonio Piscitelli, Massimo Pica Ciamarra

  SciPost Phys. 3, 018 (2017) · published 4 September 2017 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We analyze the classical problem of the stochastic dynamics of a particle confined in a periodic potential, through the so called Il'in and Khasminskii model, with a novel semi-analytical approach. Our approach gives access to the transient and the asymptotic dynamics in all damping regimes, which are difficult to investigate in the usual Brownian model. We show that the crossover from the overdamped to the underdamped regime is associated with the loss of a typical time scale and of a typical length scale, as signaled by the divergence of the probability distribution of a certain dynamical event. In the underdamped regime, normal diffusion coexists with a non Gaussian displacement probability distribution for a long transient, as recently observed in a variety of different systems. We rationalize the microscopic physical processes leading to the non-Gaussian behavior, as well as the timescale to recover the Gaussian statistics. The theoretical results are supported by numerical calculations and are compared to those obtained for the Brownian model.

  1 citation

• Topological insulators and geometry of vector bundles

  Alexander S. Sergeev

  SciPost Phys. Lect. Notes 67 (2023) · published 12 April 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  For a long time, band theory of solids has focused on the energy spectrum, or Hamiltonian eigenvalues. Recently, it was realized that the collection of eigenvectors also contains important physical information. The local geometry of eigenspaces determines the electric polarization, while their global twisting gives rise to the metallic surface states in topological insulators. These phenomena are central topics of the present notes. The shape of eigenspaces is also responsible for many intriguing physical analogies, which have their roots in the theory of vector bundles. We give an informal introduction to the geometry and topology of vector bundles and describe various physical models from this mathematical perspective.

  1 citation

• Fusion rules and structure constants of E-series minimal models

  Rongvoram Nivesvivat, Sylvain Ribault

  SciPost Phys. 18, 163 (2025) · published 21 May 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  In the ADE classification of Virasoro minimal models, the E-series is the sparsest: their central charges $c=1-6\frac{(p-q)^2}{pq}$ are not dense in the half-line $c∈ (-∞,1)$, due to $q=12,18,30$ taking only 3 values — the Coxeter numbers of $E_6, E_7, E_8$. The E-series is also the least well understood, with few known results beyond the spectrum. Here, we use a semi-analytic bootstrap approach for numerically computing 4-point correlation functions. We deduce non-chiral fusion rules, i.e. which 3-point structure constants vanish. These vanishings can be explained by constraints from null vectors, interchiral symmetry, simple currents, extended symmetries, permutations, and parity, except in one case for $q=30$. We conjecture that structure constants are given by a universal expression built from the double Gamma function, times polynomial functions of $\cos(\pi\frac{p}{q})$ with values in $\mathbb{Q}\big(\cos(\frac{\pi}{q})\big)$, which we work out explicitly for $q=12$. We speculate on generalizing E-series minimal models to generic integer values of $q$, and recovering loop CFTs as $p,q\to ∞$.

  1 citation

• Generalizations of Kitaev’s honeycomb model from braided fusion categories

  Luisa Eck, Paul Fendley

  SciPost Phys. 18, 170 (2025) · published 2 June 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Fusion surface models, as introduced by Inamura and Ohmori, extend the concept of anyon chains to 2+1 dimensions, taking fusion 2-categories as their input. In this work, we construct and analyze fusion surface models on the honeycomb lattice built from braided fusion 1-categories. These models preserve mutually commuting plaquette operators and anomalous 1-form symmetries. Their Hamiltonian is chosen to mimic the structure of Kitaev's honeycomb model, which is unitarily equivalent to the Ising fusion surface model. In the anisotropic limit, where one coupling constant is dominant, the fusion surface models reduce to Levin-Wen string-nets. In the isotropic limit, they are described by weakly coupled anyon chains and are likely to realize chiral topological order. We focus on three specific examples: (i) Kitaev's honeycomb model with a perturbation breaking time-reversal symmetry that realizes chiral Ising topological order, (ii) a $\mathbb{Z}_N$ generalization proposed by Barkeshli et al., which potentially realizes chiral parafermion topological order, and (iii) a novel Fibonacci honeycomb model featuring a non-invertible 1-form symmetry.

  1 citation

• Higher spin swampland conjecture for massive AdS$_{3}$ gravity

  Rajae Sammani, El Hassan Saidi

  SciPost Phys. 18, 173 (2025) · published 3 June 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  In this paper, we show that a possible version of the swampland weak gravity conjecture for higher spin (HS) massive topological AdS$_{3}$ gravity can be expressed in terms of mass M$_{\mathrm{hs}}$, charge Q$_{\mathrm{hs}}$ and coupling constant ${\large g}_{\mathrm{hs}}$ of 3D gravity coupled to higher spin fields as M$_{\mathrm{hs}}≤ \sqrt{2}$Q$_{\mathrm{hs}}{\large g}_{\mathrm{hs}}M_{\mathrm{Pl}}$. The higher spin charge is given by the $SO(1,2)$ quadratic Casimir Q$_{\mathrm{hs}}^{2}=s\left( s-1\right) $ and the HS coupling constant by ${\large g}_{\mathrm{hs}}^{2}=2/\left( M_{\mathrm{Pl}}^{2}l_{\mathrm{AdS}_{3}}^{2}\right) $ while the mass expressed like $\left( l_{\mathrm{AdS}_{3}}\text{M}_{\mathrm{hs}}\right) ^{2}$ is defined as $\left( 1+\mathrm{\mu }l_{\mathrm{AdS}_{3}}\right) ^{2}s\left( s-1\right) +\left[1-\left( \mathrm{\mu }l_{\mathrm{AdS}_{3}}\right) ^{2}\left( s-1\right) \right]$.

  1 citation

• Particle dynamics on torsional galilean spacetimes

  José Figueroa-O'Farrill, Can Görmez, Dieter Van den Bleeken

  SciPost Phys. 14, 059 (2023) · published 4 April 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study free particle motion on homogeneous kinematical spacetimes of galilean type. The three well-known cases of Galilei and (A)dS-Galilei spacetimes are included in our analysis, but our focus will be on the previously unexplored torsional galilean spacetimes. We show how in well-chosen coordinates free particle motion becomes equivalent to the dynamics of a damped harmonic oscillator, with the damping set by the torsion. The realization of the kinematical symmetry algebra in terms of conserved charges is subtle and comes with some interesting surprises, such as a homothetic version of hamiltonian vector fields and a corresponding generalization of the Poisson bracket. We show that the Bargmann extension is universal to all galilean kinematical symmetries, but also that it is no longer central for nonzero torsion. We also present a geometric interpretation of this fact through the Eisenhart lift of the dynamics.

  1 citation