Related papers: Emergent fracton strings from covariant bi-form ga…
We formulate a covariant version of Maxwell-like fracton electrodynamics in six dimensions using a symmetric tensor gauge field with scalar gauge symmetry $\delta A_{\mu\nu}=\partial_\mu\partial_\nu\Lambda$. This provides a relativistic…
Fractons, excitations with restricted mobility, have emerged as a novel paradigm in high-energy and condensed matter physics, revealing deep connections to gauge theories and gravity. Here, we propose a tensorial generalization of…
We construct a covariant and gauge-invariant theory describing massive fractons in three spacetime dimensions, based on a symmetric rank-2 tensor field. The model includes a Chern-Simons-like term that plays a dual role: it generates a…
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 demonstrate the existence of a fundamentally new type of excitation, fractonic lines, which are line-like excitations with the restricted mobility properties of fractons. These excitations, described using an amalgamation of higher-form…
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 develop worldline formulations of covariant fracton gauge theories. These are a one-parameter family of gauge theories of a rank-two symmetric tensor field, invariant under a scalar gauge transformation involving a double derivative.…
Fractonic matter with dipole symmetry can be coupled to a two-index symmetric tensor gauge field. In this work, we show that this symmetric tensor field, along with other related generalized Maxwell theories, can be consistently coupled to…
Fractons, characterized by restricted mobility and governed by higher-moment conservation laws, represent a novel phase of matter with deep connections to tensor gauge theories and emergent gravity. This work systematically explores the…
We consistently couple simple continuum field theories with fracton excitations to curved spacetime backgrounds. We consider homogeneous and isotropic fracton field theories, with a conserved $U(1)$ charge and dipole moment. Coupling to…
Motivated by the prediction of fractonic topological defects in a quantum crystal, we utilize a reformulated elasticity duality to derive a description of a fracton phase in terms of coupled vector U(1) gauge theories. The fracton order and…
A powerful mechanism for constructing gauge theories is to start from a theory with a global symmetry, then apply the "gauge principle," which demands that this symmetry hold locally. For example, the global phase rotation of a system of…
We show that the main properties of the fracton quasiparticles can be derived from a generalized covariant Maxwell-like action. Starting from a rank-2 symmetric tensor field $A_{\mu\nu}(x)$, we build a partially symmetric rank-3 tensor…
In this paper we study the consequences of the introduction of a flat boundary on a 4D covariant rank-2 gauge theory described by a linear combination of linearized gravity and covariant fracton theory. We show that this theory gives rise…
We consider the theory of a symmetric tensor field in 4D, invariant under a subclass of infinitesimal diffeomorphism transformations, where the vector diff parameter is the 4-divergence of a scalar parameter. The resulting gauge symmetry…
We systematically examine all possible Gauss laws obeying spatial rotation symmetry, characterising the corresponding conserved charges. In the case of conserved higher moments, this gives rise to fractonic behaviour. We show that many…
We propose a new gauge field theory which is an extension of ordinary string field theory by assembling multiple state spaces of the bosonic string. The theory includes higher spin fields in its massless spectrum together with the infinite…
Fractons are gapped point-like excitations in $d=3$ topological ordered phases whose motion is constrained. They have been discovered in several gapped models but a unifying physical mechanism for generating them is still missing. It has…
Fracton theories possess exponentially degenerate ground states, excitations with restricted mobility, and nontopological higher-form symmetries. This paper shows that such theories can be defined on arbitrary spatial lattices in three…