Deconfined quantum critical points: symmetries and dualities

By Chong Wang, A. Nahum, M. Metlitski, Cenke Xu, T. Senthil. 2017

339 citations recorded by the source corpus.

The deconfined quantum critical point (QCP), separating the Neel and valence bond solid phases in a 2D antiferromagnet, was proposed as an example of ð2 þ 1ÞD criticality fundamentally different from standard Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson-Fisher criticality. In this work, we present multiple equivalent descriptions of deconfined QCPs, and use these to address the possibility of enlarged emergent symmetries in the low-energy limit. The easy-plane deconfined QCP, besides its previously discussed self-duality, is dual to N f ¼ 2 fermionic quantum electrodynamics, which has its own self-duality and hence may have an Oð4Þ × Z T 2 symmetry. We propose several dualities for the deconfined QCP with SU(2) spin symmetry which together make natural the emergence of a previously suggested SO(5) symmetry rotating the Neel and valence bond solid orders. These emergent symmetries are implemented anomalously. The associated infrared theories can also be viewed as surface descriptions of ð3 þ 1ÞD topological paramagnets, giving further insight into the dualities. We describe a number of numerical tests of these dualities. We also discuss the possibility of “pseudocritical” behavior for deconfined critical points, and the meaning of the dualities and emergent symmetries in such a scenario.

Subfields: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics, Condensed Matter Physics

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/158e40f9d7ce7938638d4cb7b75d06106048c62c

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The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

1. Po-Shen Hsin
2. S. Rychkov
3. F. Benini
4. N. Seiberg
5. Xinan Zhou
6. Z. Komargodski
7. Bernardo Zan
8. V. Gorbenko

In Condensed Matter Physics

1. Po-Shen Hsin
2. F. Benini
3. Z. Komargodski
4. N. Seiberg
5. S. Rychkov
6. Bernardo Zan
7. V. Gorbenko
8. Adar Sharon

Citations in the corpus

• Comments on abelian Higgs models and persistent order (2017, methodology): “For N = 2 there is a strong indication (see [11] and references therein) that it is second order.”
• Walking, weak first-order transitions, and complex CFTs (2018, background): “The hypothesis of a weakly first-order phase transition via walking mechanism was put forward in [25] even before the above bootstrap evidence emerged, as one of the ways to explain some unusual finite-size scaling effects observed in their Monte Carlo simulations, and it was also discussed further ”
• Comments on global symmetries, anomalies, and duality in (2 + 1)d (2017, background): “21 We thank Todadri Senthil for pointing out to us the relevance of P(w2) in this context and for mentioning [68].”