Deconfined criticality and gapless topological states have recently attracted growing attention, as both phenomena go beyond the traditional Landau paradigm. However, the deep connection between these two critical states, particularly in lattice realization, remains insufficiently explored. In this Letter, we reveal that certain deconfined criticality can be regarded as an intrinsically gapless topological state without gapped counterparts in a one dimensional lattice model. Using a combination of field-theoretic arguments and large-scale numerical simulations, we establish the global phase diagram of the model, which features deconfined critical lines separating two distinct spontaneous symmetry breaking ordered phases. More importantly, we unambiguously demonstrate that the mixed anomaly inherent to deconfined criticality enforces topologically robust edge modes near the boundary, providing a general mechanism by which deconfined criticality manifests as a gapless topological state. Our findings not only offer a new perspective on deconfined criticality but also deepen our understanding of gapless topological phases of matter.
Deconfined criticality and gapless topological states have recently attracted growing attention, as both phenomena go beyond the traditional Landau paradigm. However, the deep connection between these two critical states, particularly in lattice realization, remains insufficiently explored. In this Letter, we reveal that certain deconfined criticality can be regarded as an intrinsically gapless topological state without gapped counterparts in a one dimensional lattice model. Using a combination of field-theoretic arguments and large-scale numerical simulations, we establish the global phase diagram of the model, which features deconfined critical lines separating two distinct spontaneous symmetry breaking ordered phases. More importantly, we unambiguously demonstrate that the mixed anomaly inherent to deconfined criticality enforces topologically robust edge modes near the boundary, providing a general mechanism by which deconfined criticality manifests as a gapless topological state. Our findings not only offer a new perspective on deconfined criticality but also deepen our understanding of gapless topological phases of matter.
Decades of research have revealed a deep understanding of topological quantum matter with protected edge modes. We report that even richer physics emerges when tuning between two topological phases of matter whose respective edge modes are incompatible. The frustration at the edge leads to novel boundary physics, such as symmetry-breaking phases with exotic non-Landau transitions---even when the edge is zero-dimensional. As a minimal case study, we consider spin chains with ${\mathbb{Z}}_{3}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{\mathbb{Z}}_{3}$ symmetry, exhibiting two nontrivial symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases. At the bulk 1+1D critical transition between these SPT phases, we find two stable 0+1D boundary phases, each spontaneously breaking one of the Z3 symmetries. Furthermore, we find that a single boundary parameter tunes a non-Landau boundary critical transition between these two phases. This constitutes a 0+1D version of an exotic phenomenon driven by charged vortex condensation known as deconfined quantum criticality. This work highlights the rich unexplored physics of criticality between nontrivial topological phases and provides insights into the burgeoning field of gapless topological phases.
The phase transition between gapped topological phases represents a class of unconventional criticality beyond the Landau paradigm. However, recent research has shifted attention to topological phases without a bulk gap, where the phase transitions between them are still elusive. In this work, based on large-scale density-matrix renormalization-group techniques, we investigate the critical behaviors of the extended quantum XXZ model obtained by the Kennedy-Tasaki transformation. Using fidelity susceptibility as a diagnostic, we obtain a complete phase diagram, which includes both topological nontrivial and trivial gapless phases. Furthermore, as the XXZ-type anisotropy parameter $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}$ varies, both the critical points hc and correlation length exponent $\ensuremath{\nu}$ remain the same as in the $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}=0$ case, characterized by c=3/2 (Ising plus free boson) conformal field theory. Our results indicate that fidelity susceptibility can effectively detect and reveal a stable unconventional critical line between the topologically distinct gapless phases for general $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}$. This work serves as a valuable reference for further research on phase transitions within the gapless topological phase of matter.
Topological holography is a holographic principle that describes the generalized global symmetry of a local quantum system in terms of a topological order in one higher dimension. This framework separates the topological data from the local dynamics of a theory and provides a unified description of the symmetry and duality in gapped and gapless phases of matter. In this work, we develop the topological holographic picture for (1+1) d d quantum phases, including both gapped phases as well as a wide range of quantum critical points, including phase transitions between symmetry protected topological (SPT) phases, symmetry enriched quantum critical points, deconfined quantum critical points, and intrinsically gapless SPT phases. Topological holography puts a strong constraint on the emergent symmetry and the anomaly for these critical theories. We show how the partition functions of these critical points can be obtained from dualizing (orbifolding) more familiar critical theories. The topological responses of the defect operators are also discussed in this framework. We further develop a topological holographic picture for conformal boundary states of (1+1) d d rational conformal field theories. This framework provides a simple physical picture to understand conformal boundary states and also uncovers the nature of the gapped phases corresponding to the boundary states.
Since the discovery of phase transitions driven by topological defects, the classification of phases of matter has been significantly extended beyond Ginzburg and Landau's paradigm of spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB). In particular, intrinsic and symmetry-protected topological (SPT) orders have been discovered in (mostly gapped) quantum many-body ground states. However, these are commonly viewed as zero-temperature phenomena, and their robustness in a gapless ground state or against thermal fluctuations remains challenging to tackle. Here we introduce an explicit construction for SPT-type states with hidden order associated with SSB: They feature (quasi-)long-range correlations along appropriate edges but short-range order in the bulk, ground state degeneracy associated with SSB, and nonlocal string order in the bulk. We apply our construction to predict two types of finite-temperature SPT transitions protected by 1-form symmetries in the Ising and BKT class, respectively, where the usual signs of criticality appear despite the absence of a diverging correlation length in the bulk. While the state featuring hidden Ising order is gapped, the other SPT state associated with the BKT-SPT transition has hidden U ( 1 ) or XY order and constitutes an intrinsically gapless SPT state, associated with a gapless Goldstone mode. Specifically, in this work we discuss spins with global Z 2 or U ( 1 ) symmetry coupled to link variables constituting a loop gas model with a 1-form symmetry. By mapping this system to an Ising-gauge theory, we demonstrate that one of the SPT phases we construct corresponds to the Higgs-SPT phase at T = 0 – which we show here to remain stable at finite temperature. Our work paves the way for a more systematic search for hidden order SPT phases, including in gapless systems, and raises the question if a natural (finite- T ) spin liquid candidate exists that realizes hidden order in the Higgs-SPT class.
Quantum entanglement can be an effective diagnostic tool for probing topological phases protected by global symmetries. Recently, the notion of nontrivial topology in critical systems has been proposed and is attracting growing attention. In this work, as a concrete example, we explore the quantum entanglement properties of fermionic symmetry-enriched quantum critical points by constructing exactly solvable models based on stacked multiple Kitaev chains. We first analytically establish the global phase diagram using entanglement entropy and reveal three topologically distinct gapped phases with different winding numbers, along with three topologically distinct transition lines separating them. Importantly, we unambiguously demonstrate that two transition lines exhibit fundamentally different topological properties despite sharing the same central charge. Specifically, they display nontrivial topological degeneracy in the entanglement spectrum under periodic boundary conditions, thereby generalizing the Li-Haldane bulk-boundary correspondence to a broader class of fermionic symmetry-enriched criticality. Additionally, we identify a novel Lifshitz multicritical point at the intersection of the three transition lines, which also exhibits nontrivial topological degeneracy. This work provides a valuable reference for investigating gapless topological phases of matter from the perspective of quantum entanglement.
The Schrödinger equation is nearly a century old, yet we are still in the midst of uncovering the remarkable phenomena emerging in many-body quantum systems. From superconductivity to anyonic quasiparticles, nature consistently surprises with its rich self-organization. To elucidate and grasp this variety, it is paramount to understand the phases of matter that can occur in many-body ground states, as well as their emergent collective excitations. Of particular interest are topological phases of matter, characterized by exotic excitations or edge phenomena. There exist by now several universal frameworks for gapped systems, i.e., those with an energy gap above the ground state. However, in the last decade, a multitude of gapless quantum wires---effectively one-dimensional systems---have been reported to be topologically non-trivial. A framework for their understanding and classification is missing. In addition to ground state order---topological or otherwise---a more complete picture involves the properties of excitations above the ground state. Alas, little is known about excitations beyond the universal low-energy regime. In part, this is due to a lack of analytical and numerical methods able to describe excitations at finite energies, especially in strongly-interacting systems beyond one dimension. In this thesis, we address these issues: firstly, we build a general understanding of topological phases in one dimension, including both gapped and gapless cases. In particular, we unify previously studied examples into a single framework. Secondly, we develop a novel numerical method for obtaining spectral functions in two dimensions---these give direct insight into the properties of excitations and are moreover experimentally measurable. Using this numerical method, we uncover a variety of robust properties of excitations at finite energies. Part I of this thesis concerns gapped and gapless topological phases in one dimension. In Chapter 2, we first treat the case of non-interacting fermions. Therein, we review the known classification of gapped phases before extending it to the gapless case, showing that exponentially-localized Majorana zero modes can still emerge at the edge when the bulk is gapless. Interacting gapped phases are discussed in Chapter 3, with a focus on symmetry-protected topological order. These have already been classified; our contribution is to provide a non-technical review of this classification as well as showing that many paradigmatic model Hamiltonians can be related to one another. Finally, Chapter 4 introduces the notion of symmetry-enriched quantum criticality, which we propose as a framework for classifying gapless phases. The key message is that in the presence of symmetries, a universality class can divide into distinct phases, characterized by the symmetry action on the low-energy scaling operators. This includes gapless topological phases, with examples hiding in plain sight; we clarify their stability and reinterpret previously studied examples. Part II studies the excitations above the ground states of two-dimensional quantum spin models. The main object of our study is the dynamic spin structure factor; this type of spectral function is reviewed in the first part of Chapter 5. The second part of this chapter introduces a novel matrix-product-state-based algorithm to efficiently compute it, opening a new window on the dynamics of two-dimensional quantum systems. We benchmark this numerical method in Chapter 6 on the exactly-solvable Kitaev model---a paradigmatic topological model realizing a quantum spin liquid. By adding non-integrable Heisenberg perturbations, we identify the first unequivocal theoretical realization of a proximate spin liquid: the ground state becomes conventionally ordered, yet the high-energy spectral properties are structurally similar to those of the nearby Kitaev spin liquid. The latter agrees with aspects of recent inelastic neutron scattering experiments on alpha-RuCl3. In Chapter 7, we turn to one of the oldest models in many-body quantum physics: the spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the square lattice. Despite its venerable history, there is still disagreement about the physical origin of high-energy spectral features which low-order spin wave theory cannot account for. We provide a simple picture for this strongly-interacting-magnon feature by connecting it to a simple Ising limit. Lastly, Chapter 8 discusses the stability of quasiparticles---collective excitations behaving like a single emergent entity, of which magnons are a prime example. These are often known to be stable at the lowest energies and are presumed to decay whenever this is seemingly allowed by energy and momentum conservation. However, we show that strong interactions can prevent this from happening. We numerically confirm this principle of avoided decay in the (slightly-detuned) Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the triangular lattice. Moreover, we can even identify its fingerprints in existing experimental data on Ba3CoSb2O9 and superfluid helium. In this thesis, we thus enlarge our understanding of quantum phases and their excitations. The identification of the key principles of gapless topological phases in one dimension calls for direct analogues in higher dimensions, waiting to be uncovered. With regard to the robust properties of the excitations identified in this thesis, we are hopeful that these can be extended into a theory of quasiparticle properties away from the universal low-energy regime.