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arXiv:2606.19137

Bulk-boundary correspondence of (1+1)D symmetric gapped phases

Yizhou Ma, Gen Yue, Tian Lan

Published Jun 17, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

We develop an operator-algebraic framework for boundary conditions and bulk-boundary correspondence in one-dimensional gapped phases with categorical symmetry. Working directly in the thermodynamic limit, we construct half-infinite fusion spin chains and commuting-projector boundary Hamiltonians from a unitary fusion category $\mathcal{C}$, an indecomposable semisimple right $\mathcal{C}$-module category $\mathcal{M}$, a Q-system $Q\in\mathcal{C}$ specifying the bulk phase, and a right $Q$-module $K\in\mathcal{M}_{Q}$, regarded as an object of $\mathcal{M}_{Q}^{\mathrm{op}}$, specifying the boundary. We prove that these Hamiltonians have unique ground states and that the resulting realization functor $\mathcal{M}_{Q}^{\mathrm{op}}\to\mathrm{BCond}$ is an equivalence, so simple boundary conditions are classified by simple objects of $\mathcal{M}_{Q}$ and general boundary conditions by their finite direct sums. We also give a microscopic formulation of the boundary symmetry topological field theory using DHR bimodules of the boundary quasi-local algebra. For a half-infinite fusion spin chain, the boundary DHR category is monoidally equivalent to $(\mathcal{C}_{\mathcal{M}}^{\vee})^{\mathrm{rev}}$, and the canonical action of the bulk DHR category on it agrees with the categorical action of $Z_1(\mathcal{C}^{\mathrm{rev}})$. Finally, we identify the action of the boundary DHR category on boundary conditions with the categorical action of $(\mathcal{C}_{\mathcal{M}}^{\vee})^{\mathrm{rev}}$ on $\mathcal{M}_{Q}^{\mathrm{op}}$. This yields a one-dimensional bulk-boundary correspondence: the enriched monoidal category describing the bulk is the enriched center of the enriched category describing the boundary.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2606.19137

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We develop an operator-algebraic framework for boundary conditions and bulk-boundary correspondence in one-dimensional gapped phases with categorical symmetry. Working directly in the thermodynamic limit, we construct half-infinite fusion spin chains and commuting-projector boundary Hamiltonians from a unitary fusion category C\mathcal{C}C, an indecomposable semisimple right C\mathcal{C}C-module category M\mathcal{M}M, a Q-system Q∈CQ\in\mathcal{C}Q∈C specifying the bulk phase, and a right QQQ-module K∈MQK\in\mathcal{M}_{Q}K∈MQ​, regarded as an object of MQop\mathcal{M}_{Q}^{\mathrm{op}}MQop​, specifying the boundary. We prove that these Hamiltonians have unique ground states and that the resulting realization functor MQop→BCond\mathcal{M}_{Q}^{\mathrm{op}}\to\mathrm{BCond}MQop​→BCond is an equivalence, so simple boundary conditions are classified by simple objects of MQ\mathcal{M}_{Q}MQ​ and general boundary conditions by their finite direct sums. We also give a microscopic formulation of the boundary symmetry topological field theory using DHR bimodules of the boundary quasi-local algebra. For a half-infinite fusion spin chain, the boundary DHR category is monoidally equivalent to (CM∨)rev(\mathcal{C}_{\mathcal{M}}^{\vee})^{\mathrm{rev}}(CM∨​)rev, and the canonical action of the bulk DHR category on it agrees with the categorical action of Z1(Crev)Z_1(\mathcal{C}^{\mathrm{rev}})Z1​(Crev). Finally, we identify the action of the boundary DHR category on boundary conditions with the categorical action of (CM∨)rev(\mathcal{C}_{\mathcal{M}}^{\vee})^{\mathrm{rev}}(CM∨​)rev on MQop\mathcal{M}_{Q}^{\mathrm{op}}MQop​. This yields a one-dimensional bulk-boundary correspondence: the enriched monoidal category describing the bulk is the enriched center of the enriched category describing the boundary.
We propose a framework for fusion category symmetry on the (1+1)D lattice in the infinite-volume limit by giving a formal interpretation of SymTFT decompositions. Our approach is based on axiomatizing physical boundary subalgebra of quasi-local observables, and applying ideas from algebraic quantum field theory to derive the expected categorical structures. We show that given a physical boundary subalgebra BBB of a quasi-local algebra AAA, there is a canonical fusion category C\mathcal{C}C that acts on AAA by bimodules and whose fusion ring acts by locality preserving quantum channels on the quasi-local algebra such that BBB is recovered as the fixed point operators. We show that a fusion category can be realized as symmetries on a tensor product quasi-local algebra if and only if all of its objects have integer dimensions, and that it admits an ``on-site" action on a tensor product spin chain if and only if it admits a fiber functor. We give a formal definition of a topological symmetric state, and prove two anomaly enforced gaplessness theorems, one for internal categorical symmetries and one for anomalous duality channels. Using the first, we show that for any fusion category C\mathcal{C}C with no fiber functor there always exist gapless pure symmetric states on an anyon chain.
Abstract For a G-crossed braided extension of a unitary modular tensor category C\mathcal {C}C C —as in one representing a (2+1)D symmetry enriched topological order (SETO)—preservation of global on-site group symmetry after condensation by a commutative Q-system object A∈CA \in \mathcal {C}A∈C A ∈ C necessitates the existence of a G-equivariant structure on A. When interpreted spatially, the condensation boundary has its own internal topological symmetries. We elaborate an algebraic framework for describing the internal topological symmetries of compatible (1+1)D gapped boundaries for (2+1)D topologically ordered systems in terms of hypergroup actions. Then, we investigate the coherence of global on-site bulk symmetries and boundary symmetries. We present a categorical obstruction to the preservation of symmetry in a way which is coherent in terms of lifts of categorical actions to a certain 2-group of bulk symmetries. We give a characterization of this obstruction in the case of condensation by a Lagrangian algebra and boundary symmetries given by subalgebras of the convolution algebra associated with a Lagrangian algebra object.
Abstract We construct topological quantum field theories (TQFTs) and commuting projector Hamiltonians for any 1+1d gapped phases with non-anomalous fusion category symmetries, i.e. finite symmetries that admit SPT phases. The construction is based on two-dimensional state sum TQFT whose input datum is an H-simple left H-comodule algebra, where H is a finite dimensional semisimple Hopf algebra. We show that the actions of fusion category symmetries C \mathcal{C} C C on the boundary conditions of these state sum TQFTs are represented by module categories over C \mathcal{C} C C . This agrees with the classification of gapped phases with symmetry C \mathcal{C} C C . We also find that the commuting projector Hamiltonians for these state sum TQFTs have fusion category symmetries at the level of the lattice models and hence provide lattice realizations of gapped phases with fusion category symmetries. As an application, we discuss the edge modes of SPT phases based on these commuting projector Hamiltonians. Finally, we mention that we can extend the construction of topological field theories to the case of anomalous fusion category symmetries by replacing a semisimple Hopf algebra with a semisimple pseudo-unitary connected weak Hopf algebra.
Abstract In this work, we use Ising chain and Kitaev chain to check the validity of an earlier proposal in arXiv:2011.02859 that enriched fusion (higher) categories provide a unified categorical description of all gapped/gapless quantum liquid phases, including symmetry-breaking phases, topological orders, SPT/SET orders and CFT-type gapless quantum phases. In particular, we show explicitly that, in each gapped phase realized by these two models, the spacetime observables form a fusion category enriched in a braided fusion category such that its monoidal center is trivial. We also study the categorical descriptions of the boundaries of these models. In the end, we obtain a classification of and the categorical descriptions of all 1-dimensional (spatial dimension) gapped quantum phases with a bosonic/fermionic finite onsite symmetry.
This is the second part of a two-part work on the unified mathematical theory of gapped and gapless edges of 2+1D topological orders. In Part I, we have developed the mathematical theory of chiral gapless edges. In Part II, we study boundary-bulk relation and non-chiral gapless edges. In particular, we explain how the notion of the center of an enriched monoidal category naturally emerges from the boundary-bulk relation. After the study of 0+1D gapless walls, we give the complete boundary-bulk relation for 2+1D topological orders with chiral gapless edges (including gapped edges) and 0d walls between edges. This relation is stated precisely and proved rigorously as a monoidal equivalence, which generalizes the functoriality of the usual Drinfeld center to an enriched setting. We also develop the mathematical theory of non-chiral gapless edges and 0+1D walls, and explain how to gap out certain non-chiral 1+1D gapless edges and 0+1D gapless walls categorically. In the end, we show that all anomaly-free 1+1D boundary-bulk rational CFT's can be recovered from 2d topological orders with chiral gapless edges via a dimensional reduction process. This provides physical meanings to some mysterious connections between mathematical results in fusion categories and those in rational CFT's.
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