We study Abelian planon-only fracton orders: a class of three-dimensional (3d) gapped quantum phases in which all fractional excitations are Abelian particles restricted to move in planes with a common normal direction. In such systems, the mathematical data encoding fusion and statistics comprises a finitely generated module over a Laurent polynomial ring \mathbb{Z}[t^±] ℤ [ t ± ] equipped with a quadratic form giving the topological spin. The principle of remote detectability requires that every planon braids nontrivially with another planon. While this is a necessary condition for physical realizability, we observe – via a simple example – that it is not sufficient. This leads us to propose the excitation-detector principle as a general feature of gapped quantum matter. For planon-only fracton orders, the principle requires that every detector – defined as a string of planons extending infinitely in the normal direction – braids nontrivially with some finite excitation. We prove this additional constraint is satisfied precisely by perfect theories of excitations – those whose quadratic form induces a perfect Hermitian form. To justify the excitation-detector principle, we consider the 2d Abelian anyon theory obtained by spatially compactifying a planon-only fracton order in a transverse direction. We prove the compactified 2d theory is modular if and only if the original 3d theory is perfect, showing that the excitation-detector principle gives a necessary condition for physical realizability that we conjecture is also sufficient. A key ingredient is a structure theorem for finitely generated torsion-free modules over \mathbb{Z}_{p^k} [t^±] ℤ p k [ t ± ] , where p p is prime and k k a natural number. Finally, as a first step towards classifying perfect theories of excitations, we prove that every theory of prime fusion order is equivalent to decoupled layers of 2d Abelian anyon theories.

We construct a topological space ℬ consisting of translation invariant injective matrix product states (MPS) of all physical and bond dimensions and show that it has the weak homotopy type K(ℤ, 2) × K(ℤ, 3) . The implication is that the phase of a family of such states parametrized by a space X is completely determined by two invariants: a class in H^2(X;ℤ) corresponding to the Chern number per unit cell and a class in H^3(X;ℤ) , the so-called Kapustin–Spodyneiko (KS) number. The space ℬ is defined as the quotient of a contractible space ℰ of MPS tensors by an equivalence relation describing gauge transformations of the tensors. We prove that the projection map p:ℰ→ℬ is a quasifibration, and this allows us to determine the weak homotopy type of ℬ . As an example, we review the Chern number pump—a family of MPS parametrized by S^3 —and prove that it generates π _3(ℬ) .

There are now many examples of gapped fracton models, which are defined by the presence of restricted-mobility excitations above the quantum ground state. However, the theory of fracton orders remains in its early stages, and the complex landscape of examples is far from being mapped out. Here we introduce the class of planon-modular (p-modular) fracton orders, a relatively simple yet still rich class of quantum orders that encompasses several well-known examples of type I fracton order. The defining property is that any non-trivial point-like excitation can be detected by braiding with planons. From this definition, we uncover a significant amount of general structure, including the assignment of a natural number (dubbed the weight) to each excitation of a p-modular fracton order. We identify simple new phase invariants, some of which are based on weight, which can easily be used to compare and distinguish different fracton orders. We also study entanglement renormalization group (RG) flows of p-modular fracton orders, establishing a close connection with foliated RG. We illustrate our general results with an analysis of several exactly solvable fracton models that we show to realize p-modular fracton orders, including Z_n versions of the X-cube, anisotropic, checkerboard, 4-planar X-cube and four color cube (FCC) models. We show that each of these models is p-modular and compute its phase invariants. We also show that each example admits a foliated RG at the level of its non-trivial excitations, which is a new result for the 4-planar X-cube and FCC models. We show that the Z_2 FCC model is not a stack of other better-studied models, but predict that the Z_n FCC model with n odd is a stack of 10 4-planar X-cubes, possibly plus decoupled layers of 2d toric code. We also show that the Z_n checkerboard model for n odd is a stack of three anisotropic models.

We employ matrix product states (MPS) and tensor networks to study topological properties of the space of ground states of gapped many-body systems. We focus on families of states in one spatial dimension, where each state can be represented as an injective MPS of finite bond dimension. Such states are short-range entangled ground states of gapped local Hamiltonians. To such parametrized families over $X$ we associate a gerbe, which generalizes the line bundle of ground states in zero-dimensional families (\emph{i.e.} in few-body quantum mechanics). The nontriviality of the gerbe is measured by a class in $H^3(X, \mathbb{Z})$, which is believed to classify one-dimensional parametrized systems. We show that when the gerbe is nontrivial, there is an obstruction to representing the family of ground states with an MPS tensor that is continuous everywhere on $X$. We illustrate our construction with two examples of nontrivial parametrized systems over $X=S^3$ and $X = \mathbb{R} P^2 \times S^1$. Finally, we sketch using tensor network methods how the construction extends to higher dimensional parametrized systems, with an example of a two-dimensional parametrized system that gives rise to a nontrivial 2-gerbe over $X = S^4$.

We present a comprehensive study on the longitudinal magnetothermal transport in a paramagnetic effective spin-1/2 magnetic insulator CsYbSe_{2}, by introducing a minimal model requiring only Zeeman splitting and magnetoelastic coupling. We use it to argue that hybridized excitations—formed from acoustic phonons and localized spin-flip-excitations across the Zeeman gap of the crystal electric field ground doublet—are responsible for a nonmonotonic field dependence of longitudinal thermal conductivity. Beyond highlighting a starring role for phonons, our results raise the prospect of universal magnetothermal transport phenomena in paramagnetic insulators that originate from simple features shared across many systems.

In previous work, it was shown that non-trivial gapped states can be generated from a product state using a sequential quantum circuit. Explicit circuit constructions were given for a variety of gapped states at exactly solvable fixed points. In this paper, we show that a similar generation procedure can be established for chiral topological states as well, despite the fact that they lack a zero-correlation-length exactly solvable form. Instead of sequentially applying local unitary gates, we sequentially evolve the Hamiltonian by changing local terms in one subregion and then the next. The Hamiltonian remains gapped throughout the process, giving rise to an adiabatic evolution mapping the ground state from a product state to a chiral topological state. We demonstrate such a sequential adiabatic generation process for free fermion chiral states like the Chern Insulator and the p+ip superconductor. Moreover, we show that coupling a quantum state to a discrete gauge group can be achieved through a sequential quantum circuit, thereby generating interacting chiral topological states from the free fermion ones.

In this paper, we present a homotopical framework for studying invertible gapped phases of matter from the point of view of infinite spin lattice systems, using the framework of algebraic quantum mechanics. We define the notion of quantum state types. These are certain lax-monoidal functors from the category of finite dimensional Hilbert spaces to the category of topological spaces. The universal example takes a finite dimensional Hilbert space to the pure state space of the quasi-local algebra of the quantum spin system with this Hilbert space at each site of a specified lattice. The lax-monoidal structure encodes the tensor product of states, which corresponds to stacking for quantum systems. We then explain how to formally extract parametrized phases of matter from quantum state types, and how they naturally give rise to $\mathscr{E}_\infty$-spaces for an operad we call the "multiplicative" linear isometry operad. We define the notion of invertible quantum state types and explain how the passage to phases for these is related to group completion. We also explain how invertible quantum state types give rise to loop-spectra. Our motivation is to provide a framework for constructing Kitaev's loop-spectrum of bosonic invertible gapped phases of matter. Finally, as a first step towards understanding the homotopy types of the loop-spectra associated to invertible quantum state types, we prove that the pure state space of any UHF algebra is simply connected.

Fracton order describes novel quantum phases of matter that host quasiparticles with restricted mobility, and thus lies beyond the existing paradigm of topological order. In particular, excitations that cannot move without creating multiple excitations are called fractons. Here we address a fundamental open question -- can the notion of self-exchange statistics be naturally defined for fractons, given their complete immobility as isolated excitations? Surprisingly, we demonstrate how fractons can be exchanged, and show that their self-statistics is a key part of the characterization of fracton orders. We derive general constraints satisfied by the fracton self-statistics in a large class of Abelian fracton orders. Finally, we show the existence of nontrivial fracton self-statistics in some twisted variants of the checkerboard model and Haah's code, establishing that these models are in distinct quantum phases as compared to their untwisted cousins.

Finite-depth quantum circuits preserve the long-range entanglement structure in quantum states and map between states within a gapped phase. To map between states of different gapped phases, we can use Sequential Quantum Circuits which apply unitary transformations to local patches, strips, or other sub-regions of a system in a sequential way. The sequential structure of the circuit on the one hand preserves entanglement area law and hence the gapped-ness of the quantum states. On the other hand, the circuit has generically a linear depth, hence it is capable of changing the long-range correlation and entanglement of quantum states and the phase they belong to. In this paper, we discuss systematically the definition, basic properties, and prototypical examples of sequential quantum circuits that map product states to GHZ states, symmetry-protected topological states, intrinsic topological states, and fracton states. We discuss the physical interpretation of the power of the circuits through connection to condensation, Kramers-Wannier duality, and the notion of foliation for fracton phases.

This paper is concerned with the physics of parametrized gapped quantum many-body systems, which can be viewed as a generalization of conventional topological phases of matter. In such systems, rather than considering a single Hamiltonian, one considers a family of Hamiltonians that depend continuously on some parameters. After discussing the notion of phases of parametrized systems, we formulate a bulk-boundary correspondence for an important bulk quantity, the Kapustin-Spodyneiko higher Berry curvature, first in one spatial dimension and then in arbitrary dimension. This clarifies the physical interpretation of the higher Berry curvature, which in one spatial dimension is a flow of (ordinary) Berry curvature. In d dimensions, the higher Berry curvature is a flow of (d-1)-dimensional higher Berry curvature. Based on this, we discuss one-dimensional systems that pump Chern number to/from spatial boundaries, resulting in anomalous boundary modes featuring isolated Weyl points. In higher dimensions, there are pumps of the analogous quantized invariants obtained by integrating the higher Berry curvature. We also discuss the consequences for parametrized systems of Kitaev's proposal that invertible phases are classified by a generalized cohomology theory, and emphasize the role of the suspension isomorphism in generating new examples of parametrized systems from known invertible phases. Finally, we present a pair of general quantum pumping constructions, based on physical pictures introduced by Kitaev, which take as input a d-dimensional parametrized system, and produce new (d+1)-dimensional parametrized systems. These constructions are useful for generating examples, and we conjecture that one of the constructions realizes the suspension isomorphism in a generalized cohomology theory of invertible phases.

A large class of type-I fracton models, including the X-cube model, have been found to be fixed points of the foliated renormalization group (RG). The system size of such foliated models can be changed by adding or removing decoupled layers of $2$D topological states and continuous deformation of the Hamiltonian. In this paper, we study a closely related model -- the Ising cage-net model -- and find that this model is not foliated in the same sense. In fact, we point out certain unnatural restrictions in the foliated RG, and find that removing these restrictions leads to a generalized foliated RG under which the Ising cage-net model is a fixed point, and which includes the original foliated RG as a special case. The Ising cage-net model thus gives a prototypical example of the generalized foliated RG, and its system size can be changed either by condensing / uncondensing bosonic planon excitations near a 2D plane or through a linear depth quantum circuit in the same plane. We show that these two apparently different RG procedures are closely related, as they lead to the same gapped boundary when implemented in part of a plane. Finally, we briefly discuss the implications for foliated fracton phases, whose universal properties will need to be reexamined in light of the generalized foliated RG.

The fractionalization of global symmetry charges is a striking hallmark of topological quantum order. Here, we discuss the fractionalization of subsystem symmetries in two-dimensional topological phases. In line with previous no-go arguments, we show that subsystem symmetry fractionalization is not possible in many cases due to the additional rigid geometric structure of the symmetries. However, we identify a mechanism that allows fractionalization, involving global relations between macroscopically many symmetry generators. We find that anyons can fractionalize such relations, meaning that the total charge carried under all generators involved in the global relation is nontrivial, despite the fact that these generators multiply to the identity. We first discuss the general algebraic framework needed to characterize this type of fractionalization, and then explore this framework using a number of exactly solvable models with Z(2) topological order, including models having line and fractal symmetries. These models all showcase another necessary property of subsystem symmetry fractionalization: Fractionalized anyons must have restricted mobility when the symmetry is enforced, such that they are confined to a single line or point in the case of line and fractal symmetries, respectively. Looking forward, we expect that our identification of the importance of global relations in fractionalization will hold significance for the classification of phases with subsystem symmetries in all dimensions.

We consider how the outputs of the Kadison transitivity theorem and Gelfand-Naimark-Segal construction may be obtained in families when the initial data are varied. More precisely, for the Kadison transitivity theorem, we prove that for any nonzero irreducible representation $(\mathcal{H}, \pi)$ of a $C^*$-algebra $\mathfrak{A}$ and $n \in \mathbb{N}$, there exists a continuous function $A:X \rightarrow \mathfrak{A}$ such that $\pi(A(\mathbf{x}, \mathbf{y}))x_i = y_i$ for all $i \in \{1, \ldots, n\}$, where $X$ is the set of pairs of $n$-tuples $(\mathbf{x}, \mathbf{y}) \in \mathcal{H}^n \times \mathcal{H}^n$ such that the components of $\mathbf{x}$ are linearly independent. Versions of this result where $A$ maps into the self-adjoint or unitary elements of $\mathfrak{A}$ are also presented. Regarding the Gelfand-Naimark-Segal construction, we prove that given a topological $C^*$-algebra fiber bundle $p:\mathfrak{A} \rightarrow Y$, one may construct a topological fiber bundle $\mathscr{P}(\mathfrak{A}) \rightarrow Y$ whose fiber over $y \in Y$ is the space of pure states of $\mathfrak{A}_y$ (with the norm topology), as well as bundles $\mathscr{H} \rightarrow \mathscr{P}(\mathfrak{A})$ and $\mathscr{N} \rightarrow \mathscr{P}(\mathfrak{A})$ whose fibers $\mathscr{H}_\omega$ and $\mathscr{N}_\omega$ over $\omega \in \mathscr{P}(\mathfrak{A})$ are the GNS Hilbert space and closed left ideal, respectively, corresponding to $\omega$. When $p:\mathfrak{A} \rightarrow Y$ is a smooth fiber bundle, we show that $\mathscr{P}(\mathfrak{A}) \rightarrow Y$ and $\mathscr{H}\rightarrow \mathscr{P}(\mathfrak{A})$ are also smooth fiber bundles; this involves proving that the group of $*$-automorphisms of a $C^*$-algebra is a Banach-Lie group. In service of these results, we review the geometry of the topology and pure state space. A simple non-interacting quantum spin system is provided as an example.

We study a simple model of interacting bosons on a d-dimensional cubic lattice whose dynamics conserves both total boson number and total boson dipole moment. This model provides a simple framework in which several remarkable consequences of dipole conservation can be explored. As a function of chemical potential and hopping strength, the model can be tuned between gapped Mott insulating phases and various types of gapless condensates. The condensed phase realized at large hopping strengths, which we dub a Bose-Einstein insulator, is particularly interesting: despite having a Bose condensate, it is insulating, and despite being an insulator, it is compressible.

Christopher A. Pocs, Peter E. Siegfried, Jie Xing, Athena S. Sefat, Michael Hermele, 3 B. Normand, 5 and Minhyea Lee Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA Center for Theory of Quantum Matter, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA Paul Scherrer Institute, CH-5232 Villigen-PSI, Switzerland Institute of Physics, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland (Dated: September 22, 2021)

A primary goal at the interface of theoretical and experimental quantum magnetism is the investigation of exotic spin states, mostly notably quantum spin liquids (QSLs) that realize phenomena including quasiparticle fractionalization, long-ranged entanglement, and topological order. Magnetic rare-earth ions go beyond the straightforward paradigm of geometrical frustration in Heisenberg antiferromagnets by introducing competing energy scales, and in particular their strong spin-orbit coupling creates multiple split crystal electric-field (CEF) levels, leading to anisotropic effective spin models with intrinsic frustration. While rare-earth delafossites have a triangular-lattice geometry and thus have gained recent attention as candidates for hosting spin-1/2 QSL physics, the reliable extraction of effective spin models from the initial many-parameter CEF spectrum is a hard problem. Using the example of CsYbSe2, we demonstrate the unambiguous extraction of the Stevens operators dictating the full CEF spectrum of Yb3+ by translating these into parameters with a direct physical interpretation. Specifically, we combine low-field susceptibility measurements with resonant torsion magnetometry (RTM) experiments in fields up to 60 T to determine a sufficiently large number of physical parameters-effective Zeeman splittings, anisotropic van Vleck coefficients, and magnetotropic coefficients-that the set of Stevens operator coefficients is unique. Our crucial identification of the strong corrections to the Zeeman splitting of Kramers doublets as van Vleck coefficients has direct consequences for the interpretation of all anisotropic magnetic susceptibility measurements. Our results allow us to determine the nature and validity of an effective spin-1/2 model for CsYbSe2, to provide input for theoretical studies of such models on the triangular lattice, and to provide additional materials insight into routes for achieving magnetic frustration and candidate QSL systems in rare-earth compounds.

A primary goal at the interface of theoretical and experimental quantum magnetism is the investigation of exotic spin states, most notably quantum spin liquids (QSLs). Magnetic rare-earth ions go beyond the straightforward paradigm of geometrical frustration in Heisenberg antiferromagnets by introducing competing energy scales, and in particular their strong spin-orbit coupling creates multiple split crystal electric-field (CEF) levels, leading to anisotropic effective spin models with intrinsic frustration. While rare-earth delafossites have a triangular-lattice geometry, and thus have gained recent attention as candidates for hosting spin-1/2 QSL physics, the reliable extraction of effective spin models from the initial many-parameter CEF spectrum is a hard problem. Using the example of CsYbSe2, we demonstrate the unambiguous extraction of the Stevens-operators coefficients dictating the full CEF spectrum of Yb$^{3+}$ by translating these into parameters with a direct physical interpretation. Specifically, we combine low-field susceptibility measurements with resonant torsion magnetometry experiments in fields up to 60 T to determine a sufficiently large number of physical parameters -- effective Zeeman splittings, anisotropic van Vleck coefficients, and magnetotropic coefficients -- that the set of Stevens-operator coefficients is unique. Our crucial identification of the strong corrections to the Zeeman splitting of Kramers doublets as van Vleck coefficients has direct consequences for the interpretation of all anisotropic magnetic susceptibility measurements. Our results allow us to determine the nature and validity of an effective spin-1/2 model for CsYbSe2, to provide input for theoretical studies of such models on the triangular lattice, and to provide additional materials insight into routes for achieving magnetic frustration and candidate QSL systems in rare-earth compounds.

We study quantum phase transitions out of the fracton ordered phase of the $\mathbb{Z}_N$ X-cube model. These phase transitions occur when various types of sub-dimensional excitations and their composites are condensed. The condensed phases are either trivial paramagnets, or are built from stacks of $d=2$ or $d=3$ deconfined gauge theories, where $d$ is the spatial dimension. The nature of the phase transitions depends on the excitations being condensed. Upon condensing dipolar bound states of fractons or lineons, for $N \geq 4$ we find stable critical points described by decoupled stacks of $d=2$ conformal field theories. Upon condensing lineon excitations, when $N > 4$ we find a gapless phase intermediate between the X-cube and condensed phases, described as an array of $d=1$ conformal field theories. In all these cases, effective subsystem symmetries arise from the mobility constraints on the excitations of the X-cube phase and play an important role in the analysis of the phase transitions.