Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• Topological holography, quantum criticality, and boundary states

  Sheng-Jie Huang, Meng Cheng

  SciPost Phys. 18, 213 (2025) · published 30 June 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Topological holography is a holographic principle that describes the generalized global symmetry of a local quantum system in terms of a topological order in one higher dimension. This framework separates the topological data from the local dynamics of a theory and provides a unified description of the symmetry and duality in gapped and gapless phases of matter. In this work, we develop the topological holographic picture for (1+1)$d$ quantum phases, including both gapped phases as well as a wide range of quantum critical points, including phase transitions between symmetry protected topological (SPT) phases, symmetry enriched quantum critical points, deconfined quantum critical points, and intrinsically gapless SPT phases. Topological holography puts a strong constraint on the emergent symmetry and the anomaly for these critical theories. We show how the partition functions of these critical points can be obtained from dualizing (orbifolding) more familiar critical theories. The topological responses of the defect operators are also discussed in this framework. We further develop a topological holographic picture for conformal boundary states of (1+1)$d$ rational conformal field theories. This framework provides a simple physical picture to understand conformal boundary states and also uncovers the nature of the gapped phases corresponding to the boundary states.

  18 citations

• Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equations and integrable hyperbolic Landau-Zener models

  Suvendu Barik, Lieuwe Bakker, Vladimir Gritsev, Emil A. Yuzbashyan

  SciPost Phys. 18, 212 (2025) · published 27 June 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study the relationship between integrable Landau-Zener (LZ) models and Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov (KZ) equations. The latter are originally equations for the correlation functions of two-dimensional conformal field theories, but can also be interpreted as multi-time Schrödinger equations. The general LZ problem is to find probabilities of tunneling from eigenstates at $t=t_\text{in}$ to eigenstates at $t\to+∞$ for an $N× N$ time-dependent Hamiltonian $\hat H(t)$. A number of such problems are exactly solvable in the sense that their tunneling probabilities are elementary functions of Hamiltonian parameters. Recently, it has been proposed that exactly solvable LZ models of this type map to KZ equations. Here we use this connection to identify and solve a class of integrable LZ models with hyperbolic time dependence, $\hat H(t)=\hat A+\hat B/t$, for $N=2, 3$, and $4$, where $\hat A$ and $\hat B$ are time-independent matrices.

  1 citation

• On symmetry-resolved generalized entropies

  Fei Yan, Sara Murciano, Pasquale Calabrese, Robert Konik

  SciPost Phys. 18, 211 (2025) · published 27 June 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Symmetry-resolved entanglement, capturing the refined structure of quantum entanglement in systems with global symmetries, has attracted a lot of attention recently. In this manuscript, introducing the notion of symmetry-resolved generalized entropies, we aim to develop a computational framework suitable for the study of excited state symmetry-resolved entanglement as well as the dynamical evolution of symmetry-resolved entanglement in symmetry-preserving out-of-equilibrium settings. We illustrate our framework using the example of (1+1)-d free massless compact boson theory, and benchmark our results using lattice computation in the XX chain. As a byproduct, our computational framework also provides access to the probability distribution of the symmetry charge contained within a subsystem and the corresponding full counting statistics.

  1 citation

• Boundary operator expansion and extraordinary phase transition in the tricritical O(N) model

  Xinyu Sun, Shao-Kai Jian

  SciPost Phys. 18, 210 (2025) · published 27 June 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study the boundary extraordinary transition of a three-dimensional (3D) tricritical $O(N)$ model. We first compute the mean-field Green's function with a general coupling of $|\vec \phi|^{2n}$ (with $n=3$ corresponding to the tricritical model) at the extraordinary phase transition. Then, using layer susceptibility, we obtain the boundary operator expansion for the transverse and longitudinal modes within the $\epsilon=3 - d$ expansion. Based on these results, we demonstrate that the tricritical point exhibits an extraordinary transition characterized by an ordered boundary for any $N$. This provides the first nontrivial example of continuous symmetry breaking in 2D in the context of boundary criticality.

  3 citations

• Hybrid symmetry class topological insulators

  Sanjib Kumar Das, Bitan Roy

  SciPost Phys. 18, 209 (2025) · published 27 June 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Traditional topological materials belong to different Altland-Zirnbauer symmetry classes (AZSCs) depending on their non-spatial symmetries. Here we introduce the notion of hybrid symmetry class topological insulators (HSCTIs): A fusion of two different AZSC topological insulators (TIs) such that they occupy orthogonal Cartesian hyperplanes and their universal massive Dirac Hamiltonian mutually anticommute, a mathematical procedure we name hybridization. The boundaries of HSCTIs can also harbor TIs, typically affiliated with an AZSC that is different from the ones for the parent two TIs. As such, a fusion or hybridization between planar class AII quantum spin Hall and vertical class BDI Su-Schrieffer-Heeger insulators gives birth to a three-dimensional class A HSCTI, accommodating quantum anomalous Hall insulators (class A) of opposite Chern numbers and quantized Hall conductivity of opposite signs on the top and bottom surfaces. Such a response is shown to be stable against weak disorder. We extend this construction to encompass crystalline HSCTI and topological superconductors (featuring half-quantized thermal Hall conductivity of opposite sings on the top and bottom surfaces), and beyond three spatial dimensions. Non-trivial responses of three-dimensional HSCTIs to crystal defects (namely edge dislocations) in terms of mid-gap bound states at zero energy around its core only on the top and bottom surfaces are presented. Possible (meta)material platforms to harness and engineer HSCTIs are discussed.

  1 citation

• Quasiperiodic quadrupole insulators

  Raul Liquito, Miguel Gonçalves, Eduardo V. Castro

  SciPost Phys. 18, 208 (2025) · published 26 June 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Higher-order topological insulators are an intriguing new family of topological states that host lower-dimensional boundary states. Concurrently, quasiperiodic systems have garnered significant interest due to their complex localization and topological properties. In this work we study the impact of chiral symmetry preserving quasiperiodic modulations on the paradigmatic Benalcazar-Bernevig-Hughes model, which hosts topological insulating phases with zero-energy sublattice-polarized modes. We find that the topological properties are not only robust to the quasiperiodic modulation, but can even be enriched. In particular, we unveil the first instance of a quasiperiodic induced second-order topological insulating phase. Furthermore, in contrast with disorder, we find that quasiperiodic modulations can induce multiple reentrant topological transitions, showing an intricate sequence of localization properties. Our results open a promising avenue for exploring the rich interplay between higher-order topology and quasiperiodicity.

• Theorems for the lightcone bootstrap

  Balt C. van Rees

  SciPost Phys. 18, 207 (2025) · published 26 June 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Consider a conformally covariant four-point function of identical scalar operators with a discrete spectrum, a twist gap, and compatible with the unitarity conditions. We give a mathematical proof confirming that the spectrum and OPE coefficients at large spin and fixed twist always become that of a generalized free field theory.

  3 citations

• Interaction-induced strong zero modes in short quantum dot chains with time-reversal symmetry

  A. Mert Bozkurt, Sebastian Miles, Sebastiaan L. D. ten Haaf, Chun-Xiao Liu, Fabian Hassler, Michael Wimmer

  SciPost Phys. 18, 206 (2025) · published 25 June 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We theoretically explore the emergence of strong zero modes in a two-site chain consisting of two quantum dots coupled due to a central dot that mediates electron hopping and singlet superconducting pairing. In the presence of time-reversal symmetry, the on-site Coulomb interaction leads to a three-fold ground-state degeneracy when tuning the system to a sweet spot as a function of the inter-dot couplings. This degeneracy is protected against changes of the dot energies in the same way as "poor man's" Majorana bound states in short Kitaev chains. In the limit of strong interactions, this protection is maximal and the entire spectrum becomes triply degenerate, indicating the emergence of a "poor man's" version of a strong zero mode. We explain the degeneracy and protection by constructing corresponding Majorana Kramers-pair operators and $\mathbb{Z}_3$-parafermion operators. The strong zero modes share many properties of Majorana bound states in short Kitaev chains, including the stability of zero-bias peaks in the conductance and the behavior upon coupling to an additional quantum dot. However, they can be distinguished through finite-bias spectroscopy and the exhibit a different behavior when scaling to longer chains.

  1 citation

• The chiral SYK model in three-dimensional holography

  Alexander Altland, Dmitry Bagrets, Nele Callebaut, Konstantin Weisenberger

  SciPost Phys. 18, 205 (2025) · published 24 June 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  A celebrated realization of the holographic principle posits an approximate duality between the $(0+1)$-dimensional quantum mechanical SYK model and two-dimensional Jackiw-Teitelboim gravity, mediated by the Schwarzian action as an effective low energy theory common to both systems. We here propose a generalization of this correspondence to one dimension higher. Starting from different microscopic realizations of effectively chiral $(1+1)$-dimensional generalizations of the SYK model, we derive a reduction to the Alekseev-Shatashvilli (AS)-action, a minimal extension of the Schwarzian action which has been proposed as the effective boundary action of three-dimensional gravity. In the bulk, we show how the same action describes fluctuations around the Euclidean BTZ black hole configuration, the dominant stationary solution of three-dimensional gravity. These two constructions allow us to match bulk and boundary coupling constants, and to compute observables. Specifically, we apply semiclassical techniques inspired by condensed matter physics to the computation of out-of-time-order correlation functions (OTOCs), demonstrating maximal chaos in the chiral SYK chain and its gravity dual.

  2 citations

• Timelike and gravitational anomalous entanglement from the inner horizon

  Qiang Wen, Mingshuai Xu, Haocheng Zhong

  SciPost Phys. 18, 204 (2025) · published 24 June 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  In the context of the AdS$_3$/CFT$_2$, the boundary causal development and the entanglement wedge of any boundary spacelike interval can be mapped to a thermal CFT$_2$ and a Rindler $\widetilde{\text{AdS}_3}$ respectively via certain boundary and bulk Rindler transformations. Nevertheless, the Rindler mapping is not confined in the entanglement wedges. While the outer horizon of the Rindler $\widetilde{\text{AdS}_3}$ is mapped to the RT surface, we also identify the pre-image of the inner horizon in the original AdS$_3$, which we call the inner RT surface. In this paper we give some new physical interpretation for the inner RT surface. First, the inner RT surface breaks into two pieces which anchor on the two tips of the causal development. Furthermore, we can take the two tips as the endpoints of a certain timelike interval and the inner RT surface is exactly the spacelike geodesic that represents the real part of the so-called holographic timelike entanglement entropy (HTEE). We also identify a timelike geodesic at boundary of the extended entanglement wedge, which represents the imaginary part of the HTEE. Second, in the duality between the topological massive gravity (TMG) and gravitational anomalous CFT$_2$, the entanglement entropy and the mixed state correlation that is dual to the entanglement wedge cross section (EWCS) receive correction from the Chern-Simons term in the TMG. We find that, the correction to the holographic entanglement entropy can be reproduced by the area of the inner RT surface with a proper regulation, while the mixed state correlation can be represented by the saddle geodesic chord connecting the two pieces of the inner RT surface of the mixed state we consider, which we call the inner EWCS. The equivalence between the twist on the RT surface and the length of inner RT surface is also discussed.

  2 citations