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arXiv:2603.01936

Sector Theory of Levin-Wen Models II : Fusion and Braiding

Alex Bols, Boris Kjær

Published Mar 2, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

This is the continuation of our study of the Levin-Wen model based on an arbitrary unitary fusion category $\mathcal{C}$ on the infinite plane. The ground state of the Levin-Wen model hosts anyonic excitations whose fusion and braiding properties are captured by the associated braided $\rm C^*$-tensor category of superselection sectors $\mathsf{SSS}$. By constructing explicit isomorphisms between the fusion spaces of $\mathsf{SSS}$ and those of the Drinfeld center $Z(\mathcal{C})$, we show that these two categories have isomorphic $F$- and $R$-symbols. It follows that the full subcategory of finite sectors is unitarily braided monoidally equivalent to the Drinfeld center, $$\,\mathsf{SSS}_f \simeq Z(\mathcal{C}).$$ This provides the first complete characterisation of the category of superselection sectors for a class of two-dimensional lattice models supporting anyons with non-integer quantum dimensions.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2603.01936

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This is the continuation of our study of the Levin-Wen model based on an arbitrary unitary fusion category C\mathcal{C}C on the infinite plane. The ground state of the Levin-Wen model hosts anyonic excitations whose fusion and braiding properties are captured by the associated braided C∗\rm C^*C∗-tensor category of superselection sectors SSS\mathsf{SSS}SSS. By constructing explicit isomorphisms between the fusion spaces of SSS\mathsf{SSS}SSS and those of the Drinfeld center Z(C)Z(\mathcal{C})Z(C), we show that these two categories have isomorphic FFF- and RRR-symbols. It follows that the full subcategory of finite sectors is unitarily braided monoidally equivalent to the Drinfeld center,  SSSf≃Z(C).\,\mathsf{SSS}_f \simeq Z(\mathcal{C}).SSSf​≃Z(C). This provides the first complete characterisation of the category of superselection sectors for a class of two-dimensional lattice models supporting anyons with non-integer quantum dimensions.
We classify the irreducible anyon sectors of Levin-Wen models over an arbitrary unitary fusion category C\mathcal{C}C, showing that they are in one-to-one correspondence with equivalence classes of simple objects of the Drinfeld center Z(C)Z(\mathcal{C})Z(C). We achieve this by making explicit how the Levin-Wen Hamiltonian stabilizes subspaces isomorphic to state spaces of the corresponding Turaev-Viro TQFT, and developing a detailed understanding of these state spaces on punctured disks. In particular, we construct Drinfeld insertion operators on such spaces which can move anyons between the punctures, and can change their fusion channels. Using these Drinfeld insertions, we construct explicit string operators that excite anyons above the ground state. The fusion and braiding properties of these anyons will be analysed in a companion paper.
Abstract We study Kitaev’s quantum double model for arbitrary finite gauge group in infinite volume, using an operator-algebraic approach. The quantum double model hosts anyonic excitations which can be identified with equivalence classes of ‘localized and transportable endomorphisms’, which produce anyonic excitations from the ground state. Following the Doplicher–Haag–Roberts (DHR) sector theory from AQFT, we organize these endomorphisms into a braided monoidal category capturing the fusion and braiding properties of the anyons. We show that this category is equivalent to RepfD(G)\textbf{Rep}_f {{\mathcal {D}}}(G)Repf​D(G) Rep f D ( G ) , the representation category of the quantum double of G . This establishes for the first time the full DHR structure for a class of 2d quantum lattice models with non-abelian anyons.
We describe in a simple setting how to extract a unitary braided fusion category from a collection of superselection sectors of a two-dimensional quantum spin system, corresponding to abelian anyons. The structure of the unitary braided fusion category is given by F and R-symbols, which describe fusion and braiding of the anyons. We then construct the double semion state in infinite volume and extract the unitary braided fusion category describing its semion, anti-semion, and bound state excitations. We verify that this category corresponds to the representation category of the twisted quantum double of Z_2.
The article arXiv:2410.21454 constructed a braided W∗\mathrm{W^*}W∗-tensor category of superselection sectors associated to a net of von Neumann algebras on a suitably geometric poset using localized and transportable endomorphisms. In this article, we construct an equivalent tensor product and braiding using the Connes fusion tensor product without localizing, using ideas from arXiv:1812.04470 for conformal nets. As an application, we prove that the category of superselection sectors associated to the 2D braided quantum spin system constructed from a unitary braided fusion category B\mathcal{B}B in arXiv:2506.19969 is equivalent to Hilb(B)op\mathsf{Hilb}(\mathcal{B})^{\rm op}Hilb(B)op, the opposite of the unitary ind-completion of B\mathcal{B}B, as a braided W∗\mathrm{W^*}W∗-tensor category.
Levin–Wen models are a class of two-dimensional lattice spin models with a Hamiltonian that is a sum of commuting projectors, which describe topological phases of matter related to Drinfeld centres. We generalise this construction to lattice systems internal to a topological phase described by an arbitrary modular fusion category \mathcal{C} 𝒞 . The lattice system is defined in terms of an orbifold datum \mathbb{A} 𝔸 in \mathcal{C} 𝒞 , from which we construct a state space and a commuting-projector Hamiltonian H_{\mathbb{A}} H 𝔸 acting on it. The topological phase of the degenerate ground states of H_{\mathbb{A}} H 𝔸 is characterised by a modular fusion category \mathcal{C}_\mathbb{A} 𝒞 𝔸 defined directly in terms of \mathbb{A} 𝔸 . By choosing different \mathbb{A} 𝔸 ’s for a fixed \mathcal{C} 𝒞 , one obtains precisely all phases which are Witt-equivalent to \mathcal{C} 𝒞 . As special cases we recover the Kitaev and the Levin–Wen lattice models from instances of orbifold data in the trivial modular fusion category of vector spaces, as well as phases obtained by anyon condensation in a given phase \mathcal{C} 𝒞 .
Anyons in 2+12+12+1 dimensions are not only characterized by exotic braiding statistics but also by intricate fusion properties. Two anyons may fuse into multiple topological charge sectors, and associativity of fusing three anyons to produce a fixed charge sector is governed by FFF-symbols. While braiding invariants, such as the modular data, are typically complex valued, a complete description of general anyon models requires understanding the arithmetic properties of its fusion associativity data as well. The FFF-symbols for many of the most common 2+12+12+1d topological orders, including all Abelian anyon models as well as Fibonacci and Ising anyons, can be made real valued. We show this phenomenon is not universal by exhibiting braided fusion categories whose FFF-symbols cannot be made real. We call such FFF-symbols "inherently complex." The examples we study lack a charge-conjugation symmetry and our results are therefore consistent with the converse of a statement proved in a companion work linking real FFF-symbols in braided fusion categories with the existence of a suitable charge-conjugation symmetry. We analyse the smallest-rank braided fusion categories we know of with inherently complex FFF-symbols: Rep(Z7⋊Z3){\rm Rep}(\mathbb{Z}_7\rtimes\mathbb{Z}_3)Rep(Z7​⋊Z3​) and Rep(Z5⋊Z4){\rm Rep}(\mathbb{Z}_5\rtimes\mathbb{Z}_4)Rep(Z5​⋊Z4​). Consequently, the corresponding Z(Rep(Z7⋊Z3))\mathcal Z({\rm Rep}(\mathbb{Z}_7\rtimes\mathbb{Z}_3))Z(Rep(Z7​⋊Z3​)) and Z(Rep(Z5⋊Z4))\mathcal Z({\rm Rep}(\mathbb{Z}_5\rtimes\mathbb{Z}_4))Z(Rep(Z5​⋊Z4​)) anyon models also have inherently complex FFF-symbols. Our presentation connects these examples with recent results on classifying anyons beyond modular data.