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arXiv:1503.03419 · Physical Review B

Transition of a Z3 topologically ordered phase to trivial and critical phases

Ching-Yu Huang, Tzu-Chieh Wei

Published Aug 6, 2015• 8 citations
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Abstract

Topologically ordered quantum systems have robust physical properties, such as quasiparticle statistics, and ground-state degeneracy, which do not depend on the microscopic details of the Hamiltonian. We consider topological phase transitions under a deformation such as an effective string tension on a ${\mathbb{Z}}_{3}$ topological state. This is studied in terms of the gauge-symmetry-preserved quantum state renormalization group, first proposed by He, Moradi, and Wen [Phys. Rev. B 90, 205114 (2014)]. In this approach modular matrices $S$ and $T$ can be obtained and used as order parameters to characterize the topological properties of the phase and determine phase transitions. From a mapping to a classical two-dimensional Potts model on the square lattice, the critical string tension, at which the transition to a topologically trivial phase takes place, can be obtained analytically and agrees with the numerically determined value. Such a transition can be generalized to a ${\mathbb{Z}}_{N}$ topological model under a string tension and determined in the same way. With different deformations, the ${\mathbb{Z}}_{3}$ topological phase can also be driven to a critical phase, which contains, in the large deformation limit, the wave function analogous to the Rokhsar-Kivelson point in the quantum dimer model in one case and the fully packed loop model in another case.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.92.085405

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Topologically ordered quantum systems have robust physical properties, such as quasiparticle statistics, and ground-state degeneracy, which do not depend on the microscopic details of the Hamiltonian. We consider topological phase transitions under a deformation such as an effective string tension on a Z3{\mathbb{Z}}_{3}Z3​ topological state. This is studied in terms of the gauge-symmetry-preserved quantum state renormalization group, first proposed by He, Moradi, and Wen [Phys. Rev. B 90, 205114 (2014)]. In this approach modular matrices SSS and TTT can be obtained and used as order parameters to characterize the topological properties of the phase and determine phase transitions. From a mapping to a classical two-dimensional Potts model on the square lattice, the critical string tension, at which the transition to a topologically trivial phase takes place, can be obtained analytically and agrees with the numerically determined value. Such a transition can be generalized to a ZN{\mathbb{Z}}_{N}ZN​ topological model under a string tension and determined in the same way. With different deformations, the Z3{\mathbb{Z}}_{3}Z3​ topological phase can also be driven to a critical phase, which contains, in the large deformation limit, the wave function analogous to the Rokhsar-Kivelson point in the quantum dimer model in one case and the fully packed loop model in another case.
We introduce the quantum dimer-pentamer model (QDPM) on the square lattice. This model is a generalization of the square-lattice quantum dimer model as its configuration space comprises fully packed hard-core dimer coverings as well as dimer configurations containing pentamers, where four dimers touch a vertex. Thus in the QDPM, the fully packed, hard-core constraint of the quantum dimer model is relaxed such that the local dimer number at each vertex is fixed modulo 3, resulting in an exact local Z3{Z}_{3}Z3​ gauge symmetry. We construct a local Hamiltonian for which the Rokhsar-Kivelson (RK) equal superposition state is the exact ground state and has a ninefold topological degeneracy on the torus. Using Monte Carlo calculations, we find no spontaneous symmetry breaking in the RK wave function and that its dimer-dimer correlation function decays exponentially. By doping the QDPM RK state with a pair of monomers, we demonstrate that Z3{Z}_{3}Z3​ electric charges are deconfined. Additionally, we introduce a Z3{Z}_{3}Z3​ magnetic string operator that we find decays exponentially and shows no signatures of magnetic vortex condensation. These numerical results suggest that the ground state of the QDPM is a dimer liquid with Z3{Z}_{3}Z3​ topological order.
Topological order is a new paradigm for quantum phases of matter developed to explain phase transitions which do not fit the symmetry breaking scheme for classifying phases of matter. They are characterized by patterns of entanglement that lead to topologically depended ground state degeneracy and anyonic excitations. One common approach for studying such phases in two-dimensional systems is through exactly solvable lattice Hamiltonian models such as quantum double models and String-Net models. The former can be understood as the Hamiltonian formulation of lattice gauge theories and, as such, it is defined by a finite gauge group. However, not much is known about topological phases in tridimensional systems. Motivated by this we develop a new class of three-dimensional exactly solvable models which go beyond quantum double models by using finite crossed modules instead of gauge groups. This approach relies on a lattice implementation of 2-gauge theory to obtain models with a richer topological structure. We construct the Hamiltonian model explicitly and provide a rigorous proof that the ground state degeneracy is a topological invariant and that the ground states can only be characterized with nonlocal order parameters.
We consider a family of generalized Rokhsar-Kivelson (RK) Hamiltonians, which are reverse-engineered to have an arbitrary edge-weighted superposition of dimer coverings as their exact ground state at the RK point. We focus on a quantum dimer model on the triangular lattice, with doubly periodic edge weights. For simplicity we consider a 2×12\times12×1 periodic model in which all weights are set to one except for a tunable horizontal edge weight labeled ααα. We analytically show that the model exhibits a continuous quantum phase transition at α=3α=3α=3, changing from a topological Z2\mathbb{Z}_2Z2​ quantum spin liquid (α<3α<3α<3) to a columnar ordered state (α>3α>3α>3). The dimer-dimer correlator decays exponentially on both sides of the transition with the correlation length ξ∝1/∣α−3∣ξ\propto1/|α-3|ξ∝1/∣α−3∣ and as a power-law at criticality. The vison correlator exhibits an exponential decay in the spin liquid phase, but becomes a constant in the ordered phase, which we explain in terms of loop statistics of the double-dimer model. Using finite-size scaling of the vison correlator, we extract critical exponents consistent with the 2D Ising universality class. Additionally, we analytically show that the topological Rényi entropy of order ∞\infty∞ (topological min-entropy) changes from log⁡2\log2log2 for the quantum spin liquid phase α<3α<3α<3, to 000 for the ordered phase α>3α>3α>3, thereby analytically confirming the topological nature of the phase transition.
Gapped fracton phases of matter generalize the concept of topological order and broaden our fundamental understanding of entanglement in quantum many-body systems. However, their analytical or numerical description beyond exactly solvable models remains a formidable challenge. Here we employ an exact 3D quantum tensor-network approach that allows us to study a Z_{N} generalization of the prototypical X cube fracton model and its quantum phase transitions between distinct topological states via fully tractable wave function deformations. We map the (deformed) quantum states exactly to a combination of a classical lattice gauge theory and a plaquette clock model, and employ numerical techniques to calculate various entanglement order parameters. For the Z_{N} model we find a family of (weakly) first-order fracton confinement transitions that in the limit of N→∞ converge to a continuous phase transition beyond the Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson paradigm. We also discover a line of 3D conformal quantum critical points (with critical magnetic flux loop fluctuations) which, in the N→∞ limit, appears to coexist with a gapless deconfined fracton state.
The stability of the topological order phase induced by the Z3{\mathbb{Z}}_{3}Z3​ Kitaev model, which is a candidate for fault-tolerant quantum computation, against the local order phase induced by the three-state Potts model is studied. We show that the low-energy sector of the Kitaev-Potts model is mapped to the Potts model in the presence of transverse magnetic field. Our study relies on two high-order series expansions based on continuous unitary transformations in the limits of small and large Potts couplings as well as mean-field approximation. Our analysis reveals that the topological phase of the Z3{\mathbb{Z}}_{3}Z3​ Kitaev model breaks down to the Potts model through a first-order phase transition. We capture the phase transition by analysis of the ground-state energy, one-quasiparticle gap, and geometric measure of entanglement.
Topological phases exhibit unconventional order that cannot be detected by any local order parameter. In the framework of projected entangled pair states, topological order is characterized by an entanglement symmetry of the local tensor that describes the model. This symmetry can take the form of a tensor product of group representations [for quantum double models D(G)D(G)D(G) of a group G]G]G], or in the more general case a correlated symmetry action in the form of a matrix product operator (MPO), which encompasses all string-net models, including those that are not quantum double models. Among other things, these entanglement symmetries allow for the succinct description of ground states and topological excitations (anyons). Recently, the idea has been put forward to use those symmetries and the anyonic objects they describe as order parameters for probing topological phase transitions, and the applicability of this idea has been demonstrated for Abelian groups. In this paper, we extend this construction to the domain of non-Abelian models with MPO symmetries, and we use it to study the breakdown of topological order in the double Fibonacci (DFib) string-net model and its Galois conjugate, namely the non-Hermitian double Yang-Lee (DYL) string-net model. We start by showing how to construct topological order parameters for condensation and deconfinement of anyons using the MPO symmetries. Subsequently, we set up interpolations from the DFib and the DYL model to the trivial phase, and we show that these can be mapped to certain restricted solid on solid (RSOS) models, which are equivalent to the $[(5\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\sqrt{5})/2]$-state Potts model, respectively. Moreover, the order parameter for condensation maps to the RSOS order parameter. The known exact solutions of the statistical models subsequently allow us to locate the critical points of the models, and to predict the critical exponents for the order parameters from conformal field theory. We complement this by numerical study of the phase transitions, which fully confirms our theoretical predictions; remarkably, we find that both models exhibit a duality between the behavior of order parameters for condensation and deconfinement.