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Main Authors: Nguyen, Mendel, Ünsal, Mithat
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.14532
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author Nguyen, Mendel
Ünsal, Mithat
author_facet Nguyen, Mendel
Ünsal, Mithat
contents We consider a class of 3d theories with a $\mathbb Z_n$ magnetic symmetry in which confinement is generated by charge $n$ clusters of monopoles. Such theories naturally arise in quantum antiferromagnets in 2+1, QCD-like theories on $\mathbb R^3 \times S^1$, and $U(1)$ lattice theory with restricted monopole sums. A confining string fractionates into $n$ strings which each carry $1/n$ electric flux. We construct a twisted compactification (equivalently periodic compactification with a topological defect insertion) on $\mathbb R^2 \times S^1$ that preserves the vacuum structure. Despite the absence of electric degrees of freedom in the microscopic Lagrangian, we show that large Wilson loops are completely/partially screened for even/odd $n$, even when the compactification scale is much larger than the Debye length. We show the emergence of fractional electric charges $(\pm 2/n)$ at the junctions of the domain lines and topological defects. We end with some remarks on screening vs. confinement.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2412_14532
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Fractionalization of flux tubes in 3d and screening by emergent electric charges in 2d
Nguyen, Mendel
Ünsal, Mithat
High Energy Physics - Theory
We consider a class of 3d theories with a $\mathbb Z_n$ magnetic symmetry in which confinement is generated by charge $n$ clusters of monopoles. Such theories naturally arise in quantum antiferromagnets in 2+1, QCD-like theories on $\mathbb R^3 \times S^1$, and $U(1)$ lattice theory with restricted monopole sums. A confining string fractionates into $n$ strings which each carry $1/n$ electric flux. We construct a twisted compactification (equivalently periodic compactification with a topological defect insertion) on $\mathbb R^2 \times S^1$ that preserves the vacuum structure. Despite the absence of electric degrees of freedom in the microscopic Lagrangian, we show that large Wilson loops are completely/partially screened for even/odd $n$, even when the compactification scale is much larger than the Debye length. We show the emergence of fractional electric charges $(\pm 2/n)$ at the junctions of the domain lines and topological defects. We end with some remarks on screening vs. confinement.
title Fractionalization of flux tubes in 3d and screening by emergent electric charges in 2d
topic High Energy Physics - Theory
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.14532