2025/07/21 by Benjamin Moy, Moy, Benjamin
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th) #Markov Chains and Monte Carlo Methods #Nuclear physics research studies #Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2507.15925
openalex publication_date 2025/07/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
We construct two classes of continuous phase transitions in 3+1 dimensions between gapped phases that break distinct generalized global symmetries. Our analysis focuses on SU(N)/ℤN gauge theory coupled to Nf flavors of Majorana fermions in the adjoint representation. For N even and sufficiently large odd Nf, upon imposing time-reversal symmetry and an SO(Nf) flavor symmetry, the massless theory realizes a quantum critical point between a gapped phase in which a ℤN one-form symmetry is completely broken and a phase where it is broken to ℤ2, leading to ℤN/2 topological order. We characterize the possible patterns of symmetry fractionalization in these phases and provide an explicit lattice model that exhibits the transition. The critical point has an enhanced symmetry, which includes non-invertible analogues of time-reversal symmetry. Enforcing a non-invertible time-reversal symmetry and the SO(Nf) flavor symmetry, for N and Nf both odd, we demonstrate that this critical point can appear between a topologically ordered phase and a phase that spontaneously breaks the non-invertible time-reversal symmetry, furnishing an analogue of deconfined quantum criticality for generalized symmetries.