Quasi-topological fractons: a 3D dipolar gauge theory

Abstract

We consider the theory of a generic rank-2 tensor field in three spacetime dimensions, which involves a symmetric tensor field transforming under infinitesimal diffeomorphisms, and a vector field, whose gauge transformation depends on a local vector parameter. The gauge fixing shows a non-trivial structure, and some non-intuitive possibilities are listed. Despite the fact that the theory is not topological, the energy-momentum tensor vanishes on-shell, which justifies the quasi-topological appellation we give to this theory. We show that the theory has three degrees of freedom. Moreover we find an interesting physical interpretation, which consists in a generalized planar electromagnetism and in the emergence of two vector charges with restricted mobility. These are typical fractonic behaviours which can be related to the so called traceless scalar and vector charge theories.

30 pages, version to appear on The European Physical Journal C (EPJ C)

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Cited by in corpus (5)

• Fractonic self-duality and covariant magnetic fractons
• Quasi-topological mass generation for 3D linearized gravity
• Covariant field theory of 3D massive fractons
• Edge physics and the Casimir interaction in Maxwell-Chern-Simons theory on a strip
• Emergent fracton strings from covariant bi-form gauge field theory