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Field Theories for type-II fractons
by Weslei B. Fontana, Pedro R. S. Gomes, Claudio Chamon
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Submission summary
| Authors (as registered SciPost users): | Weslei Fontana · Pedro Gomes |
| Submission information | |
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| Preprint Link: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2103.02713v3 (pdf) |
| Date accepted: | 2022-01-03 |
| Date submitted: | 2021-10-19 14:30 |
| Submitted by: | Fontana, Weslei |
| Submitted to: | SciPost Physics |
| Ontological classification | |
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| Academic field: | Physics |
| Specialties: |
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| Approach: | Theoretical |
Abstract
We derive an effective field theory for a type-II fracton starting from the Haah code on the lattice. The effective topological theory is not given exclusively in terms of an action; it must be supplemented with a condition that selects physical states. Without the constraint, the action only describes a type-I fracton. The constraint emerges from a condition that cube operators multiply to the identity, and it cannot be consistently implemented in the continuum theory at the operator level, but only in a weaker form, in terms of matrix elements of physical states. Informed by these studies and starting from the opposite end, i.e., the continuum, we discuss a Chern-Simons-like theory that does not need a constraint or projector, and yet has no mobile excitations. Whether this continuum theory admits a lattice counterpart remains unanswered.
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The authors
Published as SciPost Phys. 12, 064 (2022)