Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:2002.02433 · Physical Review Research

Systematic construction of gapped nonliquid states

Xiao-Gang Wen

Published Aug 25, 2020• 44 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

This paper use 2+1D topological orders, or domain walls between 3+1D topological orders, to construct the microscopic cellular structure of a 3+1D gapped non-liquid state by glueing those 2+1D topological orders, or domain walls, together. The author further shows that this construction could produce gapped non-liquid states with fractal-like excitations.

DOI
10.1103/physrevresearch.2.033300

Related papers

Gapped domain walls between 2+1D topologically ordered states

Tian Lan, Xueda Wen, Liang Kong +1 more

This work proposed a systematic theory about the gapped domain walls between 2+1D topological ordered states. The 2+1D topological order can be characterized by the mapping-class-group representations for Riemann surfaces of genus-1, genus-2, etc. Gapped walls are characterized by the wave function overlaps, or fixed-point partition functions, which must satisfy conditions given by the mapping-class-group representations. By solving these conditions, one can determine all gapped domain walls between given topological ordered states.

arXiv:1911.08470•Physical Review Research•Jun 12, 2020•17 citations

Domain walls from SPT-sewing

Yabo Li, Zijian Song, Aleksander Kubica +1 more

We introduce a systematic method for constructing gapped domain walls of topologically ordered systems by gauging a lower-dimensional symmetry-protected topological (SPT) order. Based on our construction, we propose a correspondence between 1d SPT phases with a non-invertible $G\times \text{Rep}(G)\times G$ symmetry and invertible domain walls in the quantum double associated with the group $G$. We prove this correspondence when $G$ is Abelian and provide evidence for the general case by studying the quantum double model for $G=S_3$. We also use our method to construct \emph{anchoring domain walls}, which are novel exotic domain walls in the 3d toric code that transform point-like excitations to semi-loop-like excitations anchored on these domain walls.

arXiv:2411.11967•Nov 18, 2024•2 citations

Bridging three-dimensional coupled-wire models and cellular topological states: Solvable models for topological and fracton orders

Yohei Fuji, Akira Furusaki

Three-dimensional (3D) gapped topological phases with fractional excitations are divided into two subclasses: one has topological order with point-like and loop-like excitations fully mobile in the 3D space, and the other has fracton order with point-like excitations constrained in lower-dimensional subspaces. These exotic phases are often studied by exactly solvable Hamiltonians made of commuting projectors, which, however, are not capable of describing those exhibiting surface states with gapless chiral dispersion. Here we introduce a systematic way, based on cellular construction recently proposed for 3D topological phases, to construct another type of exactly solvable models in terms of coupled quantum wires with given inputs of cellular structure, two-dimensional Abelian topological order, and their gapped interfaces. We show that our models can describe both 3D topological and fracton orders (and even their hybrid) and study their universal properties such as quasiparticle statistics and topological ground-state degeneracy. We also apply this construction to two-dimensional coupled-wire models with ordinary topological orders and translation-symmetry-enriched topological orders. Our results pave the way for effective quantum field theory descriptions or microscopic model realizations of fracton orders with chiral gapless surface states.

arXiv:2112.07926•Physical Review Research•Nov 3, 2023•3 citations

Nonliquid cellular states: Gluing gauge-higher-symmetry-breaking versus gauge-higher-symmetry-extension interfacial defects

Juven Wang

The existence of quantum nonliquid states and fracton orders, both gapped and gapless states, challenges our understanding of phases of entangled matter. We generalize the cellular topological states to liquid or nonliquid cellular states. We propose a mechanism to construct more general non-Abelian states by gluing gauge-symmetry-breaking versus gauge-symmetry-extension interfaces as extended defects in a cellular network, including defects of higher symmetries, in any dimension. Our approach also naturally incorporates the anyonic particle/string condensations and composite string (related to particle-string or p-string)/membrane condensations. This approach shows gluing the familiar extended topological quantum field theory or conformal field theory data via topology, geometry, and renormalization consistency criteria (via certain modified group cohomology or cobordism theory data) in a tensor network can still guide us to analyze the nonliquid states. (Part of the Abelian construction can be understood from the $K$-matrix Chern-Simons theory approach and the coupled-layer-by-junction constructions.) This approach may also lead us toward a unifying framework for quantum systems of both higher symmetries and subsystem/subdimensional symmetries.

arXiv:2002.12932•Physical Review Research•Jun 30, 2022•30 citations

Classification of gapped domain walls of topological orders in 2+1 dimensions: a Levin-Wen model realization

Y. F. Chen, Siyuan Wang, Yu Zhao +2 more

A bstract This paper introduces a novel systematic construction of gapped domain walls (GDWs) within the Levin-Wen (LW) model. By gluing two LW models along their open sides in a compatible way, we achieve a complete GDW classification by subsets of bulk input data, which encompass the classifications in terms of bimodule categories. A generalized bimodule structure is introduced to capture domain-wall excitations. Furthermore, we demonstrate that folding along any GDW yields a gapped boundary (GB) described by a Frobenius algebra of the input UFC for the folded model, thus bridging our GDW classification and the GB classification in [1].

arXiv:2502.07664•Journal of High Energy Physics•Jun 11, 2025•1 citation

Gapped Domain Walls, Gapped Boundaries, and Topological Degeneracy

Tian Lan, Juven Wang, Xiao-Gang Wen

Gapped domain walls, as topological line defects between (2+1)D topologically ordered states, are examined. We provide simple criteria to determine the existence of gapped domain walls, which apply to both Abelian and non-Abelian topological orders. Our criteria also determine which (2+1)D topological orders must have gapless edge modes, namely, which (1+1)D global gravitational anomalies ensure gaplessness. Furthermore, we introduce a new mathematical object, the tunneling matrix W, whose entries are the fusion-space dimensions W(ia), to label different types of gapped domain walls. By studying many examples, we find evidence that the tunneling matrices are powerful quantities to classify different types of gapped domain walls. Since a gapped boundary is a gapped domain wall between a bulk topological order and the vacuum, regarded as the trivial topological order, our theory of gapped domain walls inclusively contains the theory of gapped boundaries. In addition, we derive a topological ground state degeneracy formula, applied to arbitrary orientable spatial 2-manifolds with gapped domain walls, including closed 2-manifolds and open 2-manifolds with gapped boundaries.

arXiv:1408.6514•Physical Review Letters•Feb 18, 2015•155 citations
This paper use 2+1D topological orders, or domain walls between 3+1D topological orders, to construct the microscopic cellular structure of a 3+1D gapped non-liquid state by glueing those 2+1D topological orders, or domain walls, together. The author further shows that this construction could produce gapped non-liquid states with fractal-like excitations.
This work proposed a systematic theory about the gapped domain walls between 2+1D topological ordered states. The 2+1D topological order can be characterized by the mapping-class-group representations for Riemann surfaces of genus-1, genus-2, etc. Gapped walls are characterized by the wave function overlaps, or fixed-point partition functions, which must satisfy conditions given by the mapping-class-group representations. By solving these conditions, one can determine all gapped domain walls between given topological ordered states.
We introduce a systematic method for constructing gapped domain walls of topologically ordered systems by gauging a lower-dimensional symmetry-protected topological (SPT) order. Based on our construction, we propose a correspondence between 1d SPT phases with a non-invertible G×Rep(G)×GG\times \text{Rep}(G)\times GG×Rep(G)×G symmetry and invertible domain walls in the quantum double associated with the group GGG. We prove this correspondence when GGG is Abelian and provide evidence for the general case by studying the quantum double model for G=S3G=S_3G=S3​. We also use our method to construct \emph{anchoring domain walls}, which are novel exotic domain walls in the 3d toric code that transform point-like excitations to semi-loop-like excitations anchored on these domain walls.
Three-dimensional (3D) gapped topological phases with fractional excitations are divided into two subclasses: one has topological order with point-like and loop-like excitations fully mobile in the 3D space, and the other has fracton order with point-like excitations constrained in lower-dimensional subspaces. These exotic phases are often studied by exactly solvable Hamiltonians made of commuting projectors, which, however, are not capable of describing those exhibiting surface states with gapless chiral dispersion. Here we introduce a systematic way, based on cellular construction recently proposed for 3D topological phases, to construct another type of exactly solvable models in terms of coupled quantum wires with given inputs of cellular structure, two-dimensional Abelian topological order, and their gapped interfaces. We show that our models can describe both 3D topological and fracton orders (and even their hybrid) and study their universal properties such as quasiparticle statistics and topological ground-state degeneracy. We also apply this construction to two-dimensional coupled-wire models with ordinary topological orders and translation-symmetry-enriched topological orders. Our results pave the way for effective quantum field theory descriptions or microscopic model realizations of fracton orders with chiral gapless surface states.
The existence of quantum nonliquid states and fracton orders, both gapped and gapless states, challenges our understanding of phases of entangled matter. We generalize the cellular topological states to liquid or nonliquid cellular states. We propose a mechanism to construct more general non-Abelian states by gluing gauge-symmetry-breaking versus gauge-symmetry-extension interfaces as extended defects in a cellular network, including defects of higher symmetries, in any dimension. Our approach also naturally incorporates the anyonic particle/string condensations and composite string (related to particle-string or p-string)/membrane condensations. This approach shows gluing the familiar extended topological quantum field theory or conformal field theory data via topology, geometry, and renormalization consistency criteria (via certain modified group cohomology or cobordism theory data) in a tensor network can still guide us to analyze the nonliquid states. (Part of the Abelian construction can be understood from the KKK-matrix Chern-Simons theory approach and the coupled-layer-by-junction constructions.) This approach may also lead us toward a unifying framework for quantum systems of both higher symmetries and subsystem/subdimensional symmetries.
A bstract This paper introduces a novel systematic construction of gapped domain walls (GDWs) within the Levin-Wen (LW) model. By gluing two LW models along their open sides in a compatible way, we achieve a complete GDW classification by subsets of bulk input data, which encompass the classifications in terms of bimodule categories. A generalized bimodule structure is introduced to capture domain-wall excitations. Furthermore, we demonstrate that folding along any GDW yields a gapped boundary (GB) described by a Frobenius algebra of the input UFC for the folded model, thus bridging our GDW classification and the GB classification in [1].
Gapped domain walls, as topological line defects between (2+1)D topologically ordered states, are examined. We provide simple criteria to determine the existence of gapped domain walls, which apply to both Abelian and non-Abelian topological orders. Our criteria also determine which (2+1)D topological orders must have gapless edge modes, namely, which (1+1)D global gravitational anomalies ensure gaplessness. Furthermore, we introduce a new mathematical object, the tunneling matrix W, whose entries are the fusion-space dimensions W(ia), to label different types of gapped domain walls. By studying many examples, we find evidence that the tunneling matrices are powerful quantities to classify different types of gapped domain walls. Since a gapped boundary is a gapped domain wall between a bulk topological order and the vacuum, regarded as the trivial topological order, our theory of gapped domain walls inclusively contains the theory of gapped boundaries. In addition, we derive a topological ground state degeneracy formula, applied to arbitrary orientable spatial 2-manifolds with gapped domain walls, including closed 2-manifolds and open 2-manifolds with gapped boundaries.