Fractons

Statistical Physics and Complexity Group meeting

Fractons

  • Event time: 11:30am until 12:30pm
  • Event date: 17th April 2019
  • Speaker: Des Johnston (Heriot-Watt University)
  • Location: Room 2511,

Event details

No, not vibrational modes of fractal lattices, the name has been recycled for anyon-like excitations in 3d. 

These have the peculiar feature of displaying reduced mobility - various sorts can only move in planes, lines or not at all. Just as anyons in the toric code can be thought of as arising from gauging the global symmetry of the (standard, nearest neighbour interaction) Ising model, fractons can arise from gauging subsystem symmetries. An old friend of mine, the plaquette Ising model, provides an example.