Condensable algebras in 2+1d non-chiral topological orders characterize gapped boundary conditions and interfaces. Applied to the Symmetry Topological Field Theory, they allow classification of symmetric gapped phases and impose sharp constraints on possible phase transitions. A condensable algebra is specified not only by its underlying set of anyons, which end on the boundary or interface, but also by its algebra structure. We introduce the concept of twin condensable algebras, which have the same anyon decomposition, but inequivalent algebra structure. We revisit the classification of condensable algebras in $\mathcal{Z}(\text{Vec}_G^ω)$, i.e. in group-theoretical topological orders for finite groups $G$ with anomaly $ω$. In this context we are able to identify twin algebras that arise from different mechanisms, such as subgroup data, SPT cocycles, and symmetry actions. In particular, we construct infinite families of examples of twins from so-called Gassmann triples, and exhibit cases in which the reduced topological orders are inequivalent despite having identical anyon content. Physically, twin algebras describe distinct symmetric phases that have isomorphic spaces of ground states, but inequivalent order parameters. Such twin phases never exhibit relative spontaneous symmetry breaking, and can be used to construct phase transitions without hidden symmetry breaking, which are intrinsically beyond Landau transitions.
Condensable algebras in 2+1d non-chiral topological orders characterize gapped boundary conditions and interfaces. Applied to the Symmetry Topological Field Theory, they allow classification of symmetric gapped phases and impose sharp constraints on possible phase transitions. A condensable algebra is specified not only by its underlying set of anyons, which end on the boundary or interface, but also by its algebra structure. We introduce the concept of twin condensable algebras, which have the same anyon decomposition, but inequivalent algebra structure. We revisit the classification of condensable algebras in Z(VecGω), i.e. in group-theoretical topological orders for finite groups G with anomaly ω. In this context we are able to identify twin algebras that arise from different mechanisms, such as subgroup data, SPT cocycles, and symmetry actions. In particular, we construct infinite families of examples of twins from so-called Gassmann triples, and exhibit cases in which the reduced topological orders are inequivalent despite having identical anyon content. Physically, twin algebras describe distinct symmetric phases that have isomorphic spaces of ground states, but inequivalent order parameters. Such twin phases never exhibit relative spontaneous symmetry breaking, and can be used to construct phase transitions without hidden symmetry breaking, which are intrinsically beyond Landau transitions.
A candidate reading of seven recent preprints from cond-mat.str-el and physics.atom-ph suggests that the classical toolkit for classifying gapped phases and their transitions—built on Landau symmetry breaking, local order parameters, and invertible group symmetries—requires systematic extension at the level of microscopic algebraic structure, not merely at the phenomenological level. The emerging picture, drawn from the corpus, is that *generalized symmetries* (non-invertible, categorical, and higher-form) impose precise algebraic constraints on what constitutes a valid order parameter, what boundary conditions are permissible, and which phase transitions can occur without any form of spontaneous symmetry breaking, even after arbitrary gauging. Concretely: (i) condensable algebras in 2+1d topological orders classify gapped boundaries, and twin algebras sharing identical anyon content but inequivalent algebra structure describe physically distinct phases with isomorphic ground-state degeneracy but inequivalent order parameters [corpus:arxiv:2605.31602]; (ii) these twin phases can undergo direct transitions that are provably beyond-Landau even after partial gauging [corpus:arxiv:2605.31601]; (iii) string order parameters in 1d systems organize into Lagrangian algebras in the Drinfel'd center of the symmetry category, making the fusion rule of the symmetry category—not just its representation theory—the operative diagnostic [corpus:arxiv:2605.27193]; (iv) non-invertible symmetry-breaking transitions can be mapped via generalized gauging to deconfined quantum critical points, and vice versa, establishing a precise duality [corpus:arxiv:2605.27672]; and (v) non-invertible symmetry enriched topological orders (NI-SETOs) can be constructed from string-net models, extending symmetry enrichment beyond the group-theoretic setting [corpus:arxiv:2605.28794]. Two additional corpus entries—a Rydberg spin-chain study [corpus:arxiv:2605.27166] and a topological lattice gauge theory paper [corpus:arxiv:2605.28688]—provide microscopic anchoring and structural context, respectively. The central falsification path is explicit: if a twin-phase transition can be shown to spontaneously break some hidden symmetry after arbitrary gauging, the framework collapses. Concrete tensor-network (DMRG/MPS) constructions of twin-phase order parameters in 1+1d would constitute a direct test. --- Authorship: Saluca Agentic AI Research Team (Saluca LLC). AI-drafted from arXiv preprint corpus on the date in the filename. Cited arXiv preprints: 2605.27166, 2605.27193, 2605.27672, 2605.28688, 2605.28794, 2605.29745, 2605.29875, 2605.30421, 2605.31185, 2605.31540, 2605.31601, 2605.31602
We present AlgebrasTQD, an open-source code written in GAP (Groups, Algorithms, and Programming), for computing condensable algebras and the corresponding topological boundaries and interfaces of twisted quantum doubles Dω(G). These algebras can be used to classify 1+1d gapped and gapless phases whose symmetry is related by gauging to a finite group G with anomaly ω∈H3(G,U(1)), to study 2+1d anyon proliferation and to construct logical gates in non-Abelian topological quantum codes. The functions in AlgebrasTQD compute all condensable algebras A(H,F,γ,ε) with their algebra structure and anyons, sort them into isomorphism classes and identify the twin algebras that are inequivalent but share the same anyon decomposition. AlgebrasTQD also determines all the subalgebra relations, the corresponding Hasse diagram and the types of 1+1d phases for any chosen, possibly non-invertible, group-theoretical symmetry. For non-maximal algebras, the code computes the reduced topological order with its 3-cocycle and the map of anyons across the topological interface. Finally, AlgebrasTQD includes functions that construct certain non-Clifford logical gates via non-Abelian surface codes. We summarize the formulas that are implemented in the AlgebrasTQD code, and we illustrate its use with Abelian and non-Abelian groups including Z23 with ωIII, D8, A4 with and without anomaly, twin algebras and twin phases, and the Clifford-hierarchy gates in quantum doubles of dihedral groups. All arithmetic is exact and AlgebrasTQD can be used with any finite group G and 3-cocycle ω, limited only by the time and size of the calculation. The code is available at https://github.com/AlisonWarman/AlgebrasTQD
Proliferation transitions are phase transitions between a 2+1d topological order T and another T/A, obtained by condensing anyons in an algebra A⊂T. We consider such transitions in quantum doubles of groups, T=D(G,ω), for finite groups G possibly with three-cocycle ω, for which condensable algebras are fully classified. Given a condensable algebra A, we represent T in terms of a Symmetry Topological Field Theory (SymTFT), that is tailored to the A proliferation transition. The SymTFT bulk is constructed from the Müger center of the subcategory generated by the algebra, i.e. the category of transparent lines, which can be bosons or fermions. Properties of the transition can then be inferred directly from the algebra classification data. For gauged Landau-Ginzburg (LG*) type transitions, we show that they do not only depend on the anyons in A through their field content, but the cubic interactions are fixed in terms of the multiplication structure of A. Applied to twin algebras, which have the same anyon content but different multiplication structures, we show that twins result in distinct proliferation transitions.
Abstract In a physical system undergoing a continuous quantum phase transition, spontaneous symmetry breaking occurs when certain symmetries of the Hamiltonian fail to be preserved in the ground state. In the traditional Landau theory, a symmetry group can break down to any subgroup. However, this no longer holds across a continuous phase transition driven by anyon condensation in symmetry enriched topological orders (SETOs). For a SETO described by aG-crossed braided extension C⊆CG× C⊆CG× , we show that physical considerations require that a connected étale algebraA∈ C C admit aG-equivariant algebra structure for symmetry to be preserved under condensation ofA. Given any categorical actionG→EqBr( C C ) such thatg(A) ≅Afor allg∈G, we show there is a short exact sequence whose splittings correspond toG-equivariant algebra structures. The non-splitting of this sequence forces spontaneous symmetry breaking under condensation ofA, while inequivalent splittings of the sequence correspond to different SETOs resulting from the anyon-condensation transition. Furthermore, we show that if symmetry is preserved, there is a canonically associated SETO of CAloc CAloc , and gauging this symmetry commutes with anyon condensation.
Abstract We classify condensable E 2-algebras in a modular tensor category C up to 2-Morita equivalence. Physically, this classification provides an explicit criterion to determine when distinct condensable E 2-algebras yield the same condensed topological phase under a two-dimensional anyon condensation process. The relations between different condensable algebras can be translated into their module categories, interpreted physically as gapped domain walls in topological orders. As concrete examples, we interpret the categories of quantum doubles of finite groups and examples beyond group symmetries. Our framework fully elucidates the interplay among condensable E 1-algebras in C , condensable E 2-algebras in C up to 2-Morita equivalence, and Lagrangian algebras in C ⊠ C ¯ .
The macroscopic theory of anyon condensation, rooted in the categorical structure of topological excitations, provides a complete classification of gapped boundaries in topologically ordered systems, where distinct boundaries correspond to the condensation of different Lagrangian algebras. However, an intrinsic and direct understanding of anyon condensation in lattice models, grounded in the framework of Lagrangian algebras, remains undeveloped. In this paper, we propose a systematic framework for constructing all gapped boundaries of Kitaev's quantum double models directly from the data of Lagrangian algebras. Central to our approach is the observation that bulk interactions in the quantum double models admit two complementary interpretations: the anyon-creating picture and the anyon-probing picture. Generalizing this insight to the boundary, we derive the consistency condition for boundary ribbon operators that respect the mathematical axiomatic structure of Lagrangian algebras. Solving these conditions yields explicit expressions for the local boundary interactions required to realize gapped boundaries. We also provide three families of solutions that cover a broad range of cases. Our construction provides a microscopic characterization of the bulk-to-boundary anyon condensation dynamics via the action of ribbon operators. Moreover, all these boundary terms are supported within a common effective Hilbert space, making further studies on pure boundary phase transitions natural and convenient. Given the broad applicability of anyon condensation theory, we believe that our approach can be generalized to planar topological codes, extended string-net models, or higher-dimensional topologically ordered systems.