Related papers: The Fracton Gauge Principle
We present a theoretical framework for a class of generalized $U(1)$ gauge effective field theories. These theories are defined by specifying geometric patterns of charge configurations that can be created by local operators, which then…
The construction of a gauge field theory for elementary particles usually starts by promoting global invariance of the matter action to a local one, this in turn implying the introduction of gauge fields. We present here a procedure that…
Fractons and other subdimensional particles are an exotic class of emergent quasi-particle excitations with severely restricted mobility. A wide class of models featuring these quasi-particles have a natural description in the language of…
Dipole charge conservation forces isolated charges to be immobile fractons. These couple naturally to spatial two-index symmetric tensor gauge fields that resemble a spatial metric. We propose a spacetime Lorentz covariant version of dipole…
We revisit the first principles gauge theoretical construction of relativistic gapless fracton theory developed by A.~Blasi and N.~Maggiore. The difference is that, instead of considering a symmetric tensor field, we consider a vector field…
Gauge field theory is developed in the framework of scale relativity. In this theory, space-time is described as a non-differentiable continuum, which implies it is fractal, i.e., explicitly dependent on internal scale variables. Owing to…
We present a covariant field-theoretical framework for a rank-4 tensor gauge field theory describing fractonic string-like objects. We show that the most general quadratic, parity-preserving action naturally leads to a Maxwell-like sector,…
We broaden the scope of quantum field theory by introducing a general class of discrete gauge theories that realize either topological order or fracton behavior across dimensions. We start from translation-invariant systems endowed with…
Spurred by recent development of fracton topological phases, unusual topological phases possessing fractionalized quasi-particles with mobility constraints, the concept of symmetries has been renewed. In particular, in accordance with the…
Plastic deformation is widely regarded as an intrinsically dissipative phenomenon and its theoretical description is largely phenomenological. We argue instead that plasticity possesses a non-dissipative, symmetry determined backbone:…
We show that the fractonic dipole-conserving algebra can be obtained as an Aristotelian (and pseudo-Carrollian) contraction of the Poincar\'e algebra in one dimension higher. Such contraction allows to obtain fracton electrodynamics from a…
We consider the theory of a generic rank-2 tensor field in three spacetime dimensions, which involves a symmetric tensor field transforming under infinitesimal diffeomorphisms, and a vector field, whose gauge transformation depends on a…
A paradigm shift of the fracton physics research is established by providing a covariant formulation of the action. For the first time, fracton gauge symmetries are connected with the global symmetries of the free dynamics. A Galileon…
Recent work has established the existence of stable quantum phases of matter described by symmetric tensor gauge fields, which naturally couple to particles of restricted mobility, such as fractons. We focus on a minimal toy model of a rank…
Fractons emerge as charges with reduced mobility in a new class of gauge theories. Here, we generalise fractonic theories of $U(1)$ type to what we call $(k,n)$-fractonic Maxwell theory, which employs symmetric order-$n$ tensors of…
We introduce a generalization of conventional lattice gauge theory to describe fracton topological phases, which are characterized by immobile, point-like topological excitations, and sub-extensive topological degeneracy. We demonstrate a…
In theories with conserved dipole moment, isolated charged particles (fractons) are immobile, but dipoles can move. We couple these dipoles to the fracton gauge theory and analyze the universal infrared structure. This uncovers an…
Motivated by recent studies of fractons, we demonstrate that elasticity theory of a two-dimensional quantum crystal is dual to a fracton tensor gauge theory, providing a concrete manifestation of the fracton phenomenon in an ordinary solid.…
It is shown that gauge theories are most naturally studied via a polar decomposition of the field variable. Gauge transformations may be viewed as those that leave the density invariant but change the phase variable by additive amounts. The…
Fractons are a new type of quasiparticle which are immobile in isolation, but can often move by forming bound states. Fractons are found in a variety of physical settings, such as spin liquids and elasticity theory, and exhibit unusual…