SciPost Submission Page
Emergent criticality in a constrained boson model
by Anirudha Menon, Anwesha Chattopadhyay, K. Sengupta, Arnab Sen
Submission summary
| Authors (as registered SciPost users): | Anwesha Chattopadhyay · Arnab Sen · Krishnendu Sengupta |
| Submission information | |
|---|---|
| Preprint Link: | scipost_202411_00003v3 (pdf) |
| Date accepted: | July 7, 2025 |
| Date submitted: | June 24, 2025, 2:04 p.m. |
| Submitted by: | Sengupta, Krishnendu |
| Submitted to: | SciPost Physics |
| Ontological classification | |
|---|---|
| Academic field: | Physics |
| Specialties: |
|
| Approach: | Theoretical |
Abstract
We show, via explicit computation on a constrained bosonic model, that the presence of subsystem symmetries can lead to a quantum phase transition (QPT) where the critical point exhibits an emergent enhanced symmetry. Such a transition separates a unique gapped ground state from a gapless one; the latter phase exhibits a broken $Z_2$ symmetry which we tie to the presence of the subsystem symmetries in the model. The intermediate critical point separating these phases exhibits an additional emergent $Z_2$ symmetry which we identify. This emergence leads to a critical theory which seems to be different from those in the Ising universality class. Instead, within the data obtained from finite-size scaling analysis, we find the critical theory to be not inconsistent with Ashkin-Teller universality in the sense that the transitions of the model reproduces a critical line with variable correlation length exponent $\nu$ but constant central charge $c$ close to unity. We verify this scenario via explicit exact-diagonalization computations, provide an effective Landau-Ginzburg theory for such a transition, and discuss the connection of our model to the PXP model describing Rydberg atom arrays.
Author indications on fulfilling journal expectations
- Provide a novel and synergetic link between different research areas.
- Open a new pathway in an existing or a new research direction, with clear potential for multi-pronged follow-up work
- Detail a groundbreaking theoretical/experimental/computational discovery
- Present a breakthrough on a previously-identified and long-standing research stumbling block
Author comments upon resubmission
We resubmit our manuscript where we addressed all comments of the first and the second referee.
We expect that these changes will be sufficient to allay their concerns.
We hope that you shall find the present version publishable in Scipost.
Thank you for your time and effort.
Regards
Anirusha Menon, Anweshal Chattopadhyay, Krishnendu Sengupta and Arnab Sen
List of changes
1) We have changed title and part of the abstract in response to the referees.
2) We have added several points in the Discussion section in response to the referees.
3) We have included a better version of Fig 1.
4) We have mobed the appendix on entanglement calculation methodology to the main body of the paper ( Sec 4.1)
5) We have added more clarification in Sec 4.2
6) We have added some discussion at the end of Sec. 5.
7) We have corrected typographical and grammatical errrors that we could find.
All the changes are color coded in the pdf version of the manuscript.
Current status:
Editorial decision:
For Journal SciPost Physics: Publish
(status: Editorial decision fixed and (if required) accepted by authors)