Coulomb spin liquids are topological magnetic states obeying an emergent Gauss law. Little distinction has been made between different kinds of Coulomb liquids. Here we show how a series of distinct Coulomb liquids can be generated straightforwardly by varying the constraints on a classical spin system. This leads to pair creation, and coalescence, of topological defects of an underlying vector field. The latter makes higher-rank spin liquids, of recent interest in the context of fracton theories, with attendant multifold pinch points in the structure factor, appear naturally. New Coulomb liquids with an abundance of pinch points also arise. We thus establish a new and general route to uncovering exotic Coulomb liquids, via the manipulation of topological defects in momentum space.
Coulomb spin liquids are topological magnetic states obeying an emergent Gauss law. Little distinction has been made between different kinds of Coulomb liquids. Here we show how a series of distinct Coulomb liquids can be generated straightforwardly by varying the constraints on a classical spin system. This leads to pair creation, and coalescence, of topological defects of an underlying vector field. The latter makes higher-rank spin liquids, of recent interest in the context of fracton theories, with attendant multifold pinch points in the structure factor, appear naturally. New Coulomb liquids with an abundance of pinch points also arise. We thus establish a new and general route to uncovering exotic Coulomb liquids, via the manipulation of topological defects in momentum space.
Spin liquids form fluctuating magnetic textures which have to obey certain rules imposed by frustration. These rules can often be written in the form of a Gauss law, indicating the local conservation of an emergent electric field. In reciprocal space, these emergent Gauss laws appear as singularities known as pinch points, that are accessible to neutron-scattering measurements. But more exotic forms of electromagnetism have been stabilized in spin liquids, and in a few rare instances, these zero-dimensional singularities have been extended into one-dimensional pinch lines. Here we propose a simple framework for the design of pinch-line spin liquids in a layered structure of two-dimensional algebraic spin liquids. A plethora of models can be build within this framework, as exemplified by several concrete examples where our theory is confirmed by simulations, and where the rank of the tensorial gauge field is continuously varied along the pinch line, opening new avenues in fractonic matter. Then we use our framework to understand how the evolution of the singularity pinch point along the pinch line can be understood as the interference pattern of two emergent electric fields. Finally, we apply our intuition on these emergent electric fields in real space to generic pinch line models beyond our layered framework, and revisit the recently proposed pinch line model on the octochlore lattice.
Recently, a new class of three-dimensional spin liquid models have been theoretically discovered, which feature generalized Coulomb phases of emergent symmetric tensor U(1) gauge theories. These ``higher rank'' tensor models are particularly intriguing due to the presence of quasiparticles with restricted mobility, such as fractons. We investigate universal experimental signatures of tensor Coulomb phases. Most notably, we show that tensor Coulomb spin liquids (both quantum and classical) feature characteristic pinch point singularities in their spin-spin correlation functions, accessible via neutron scattering, which can be readily distinguished from pinch points in conventional U(1) spin liquids. These pinch points can thus serve as a crisp experimental diagnostic for such phases. We also tabulate the low-temperature heat capacity of various tensor Coulomb phases, which serves as a useful additional diagnostic in certain cases.
The hallmark of highly frustrated systems is the presence of many states close in energy to the ground state. Fluctuations between these states can preclude the emergence of any form of order and lead to the appearance of spin liquids. Even on the classical level, spin liquids are not all alike: they may have algebraic or exponential correlation decay, and various forms of long wavelength description, including vector or tensor gauge theories. Here, we introduce a classification scheme, allowing us to fit the diversity of classical spin liquids (CSLs) into a general framework as well as predict and construct new kinds. CSLs with either algebraic or exponential correlation-decay can be classified via the properties of the bottom flat band(s) in their soft-spin Hamiltonians. The classification of the former is based on the algebraic structures of gapless points in the spectra, which relate directly to the emergent generalized Gauss's laws that control the low-temperature physics. The second category of CSLs, meanwhile, are classified by the fragile topology of the gapped bottom band(s). Utilizing the classification scheme we construct new models realizing exotic CSLs, including one with anisotropic generalized Gauss's laws and charges with subdimensional mobility, one with a network of pinch-line singularities in its correlation functions and a series of fragile topological CSLs connected by zero-temperature transitions. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
In this paper we identify a previously unexplored type of topological defect in spiral spin liquids---the momentum vortex---and reveal its dominant role in shaping the low-energy physics of such systems. Spiral spin liquids are a class of classical spin liquids featuring subextensively degenerate ground states. They are distinct from spin liquids on geometrically frustrated lattices, in which the ground-state degeneracy is extensive and connected by local spin flips. Despite a handful of experimental realizations and many theoretical studies, a concrete physical picture of their spin liquidity has not been established so far. In this paper, we study a 2D spiral spin liquid model to answer this question. We find that the local momentum vector field can carry topological defects in the form of vortices, which, however, have very different properties from the commonly known spin vortices. The fluctuations of such vortices lead the system into a liquid phase at intermediate temperatures. Furthermore, the effective low-energy theory of such vortices indicates their equivalence to quadrupoles of fractons in a rank-2 U(1) gauge theory or, alternatively, to quadrupoles of disclinations in elasticity theory. At very low temperatures, the system freezes into a glassy state in which these vortices form a rigid network with straight-line domain walls. Our paper sheds light on the nature of spiral spin liquids and also paves the way toward understanding their quantum limit.
Fracton emerges from strongly interacting many-body systems whose excitations, referred to as sub-dimensional particles, have restricted mobility or kinetic motions. These entities have garnered significant interest due to their interdisciplinary implications spanning topological quantum codes, quantum field theory, emergent gravity, quantum information, and more, revealing unique nonequilibrium behaviors such as nonergodicity and glassy dynamics. This review presents a structured and educational overview of fracton phenomena, specifically focusing on gapless fracton liquids. Noteworthy for their compressibility and gapless excitations, fracton liquids facilitate collective modes reminiscent of those gauge fluctuations found in Maxwell's electromagnetic framework. However, they are distinct due to an additional higher-moment conservation law that restricts the mobility of individual charges and monopoles. Our exploration begins with the theoretical foundation of 3D fracton liquids, presenting a variety of emergent symmetric tensor gauge theories and reviewing their equilibrium and dynamic properties. Following this theoretical groundwork, we discuss the material realization of various fracton liquids in Yb-based breathing pyrochlore lattices, close-packed tiling structures and other synthetic quantum matter platforms. Additionally, we introduce a general protocol to foster and manipulate emergent fracton spin liquids in the realm of frustrated magnetism.
Quantum spin liquids can be well described in the language of gauge theory. While most theoretical effort has been focused on gauge theories with a familiar vector gauge field, there exists a stable class of quantum spin liquids described by higher-rank tensor gauge fields. Here, the authors focus on a class of stable three-dimensional spin liquids described by symmetric tensor U(1) gauge fields. They find that these spin liquids feature an exotic class of excitations that are restricted to motion along lower-dimensional subspaces, a phenomenon seen earlier in fracton models. They show how this subdimensional behavior follows naturally from a set of higher-moment charge conservation laws that place severe restrictions on particle motion. This work opens up an exciting new direction in the field of spin liquids.