arXiv:2409.16744 · Physical review. B./Physical review. B
Noninvertible operators in one, two, and three dimensions via gauging spatially modulated symmetry
Hiromi Ebisu, Bo Han
Abstract
Spatially modulated symmetries have emerged since the discovery of fractons, which characterize unconventional topological phases with mobility-constrained quasiparticle excitations. On the other hand, noninvertible symmetry operators have attracted substantial attention in communities of high energy and condensed matter physics due to their deep insight into quantum anomalies and exotic phases of matter. However, the connection between these exotic and noninvertible symmetries has not been fully explored. In this paper, we construct concrete lattice models with noninvertible symmetry operators via gauging spatially modulated symmetries and investigate their exotic fusion rules. Specifically, we construct spin models with subsystem symmetries or dipole symmetries on one, two, and three-dimensional lattices. Gauging subsystem symmetries leads to noninvertible symmetry operators whose fusion rules involve 0-form subsystem charges in two dimensions and higher-form operators that correspond to ``lineon'' excitations (excitations which are mobile along one-dimensional line) in three dimensions. Gauging dipole symmetries leads to noninvertible symmetry operators with dipole algebras that describe a hierarchical structure between global and dipole charges. Notably, the hierarchical structure of the dual dipole charges is inverted compared with the original ones. Our work provides a unified and systematic analytical framework for constructing exotic symmetry operators by gauging relevant symmetries.