Gapless Fermions and Quantum Order

Using 2D quantum spin-1/2 model as a concrete example, we studied the relation between gapless fermionic excitations (spinons) and quantum orders in some spin liquid states. Using winding number, we find the projective symmetry group that characterizes the quantum order directly determines the pattern of Fermi points in the Brillouin zone. Thus quantum orders provide an origin for gapless fermionic excitations.Comment: 23 pages. LaTeX. Homepage http://dao.mit.edu/~we

A mean field approach for string condensed states

We describe a mean field technique for quantum string (or dimer) models. Unlike traditional mean field approaches, the method is general enough to include string condensed phases in addition to the usual symmetry breaking phases. Thus, it can be used to study phases and phases transitions beyond Landau's symmetry breaking paradigm. We demonstrate the technique with a simple example: the spin-1 XXZ model on the Kagome lattice. The mean field calculation predicts a number of phases and phase transitions, including a z=2 deconfined quantum critical point.Comment: 10 pages + appendix, 15 figure

Quantum ether: photons and electrons from a rotor model

We give an example of a purely bosonic model -- a rotor model on the 3D cubic lattice -- whose low energy excitations behave like massless U(1) gauge bosons and massless Dirac fermions. This model can be viewed as a ``quantum ether'': a medium that gives rise to both photons and electrons. It illustrates a general mechanism for the emergence of gauge bosons and fermions known as ``string-net condensation.'' Other, more complex, string-net condensed models can have excitations that behave like gluons, quarks and other particles in the standard model. This suggests that photons, electrons and other elementary particles may have a unified origin: string-net condensation in our vacuum.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, RevTeX4. Home page http://dao.mit.edu/~we

Continuous topological phase transitions between clean quantum Hall states

Continuous transitions between states with the {\em same} symmetry but different topological orders are studied. Clean quantum Hall (QH) liquids with neutral quasiparticles are shown to have such transitions. For clean bilayer (nnm) states, a continous transition to other QH states (including non-Abelian states) can be driven by increasing interlayer repulsion/tunneling. The effective theories describing the critical points at some transitions are derived.Comment: 4 pages, RevTeX, 2 eps figure

Projective non-Abelian Statistics of Dislocation Defects in a Z_N Rotor Model

Non-Abelian statistics is a phenomenon of topologically protected non-Abelian Berry phases as we exchange quasiparticle excitations. In this paper, we construct a Z_N rotor model that realizes a self-dual Z_N Abelian gauge theory. We find that lattice dislocation defects in the model produce topologically protected degeneracy. Even though dislocations are not quasiparticle excitations, they resemble non-Abelian anyons with quantum dimension sqrt(N). Exchanging dislocations can produces topologically protected projective non-Abelian Berry phases. The dislocations, as projective non-Abelian anyons can be viewed as a generalization of the Majorana zero modes.Comment: 4 pages + refs, 4 figures. RevTeX

Electronic height indicator for agricultural machines

This paper addresses the design and development of a low cost electronic height indicator for a self-propelled spray rig. The prime objective is to give a spray rig operator an accurate indication of the boom height above the ground by using an electronic display in the tractor cabin to improve the efficiency of chemical application. This indicator is implemented using a microcontroller and a Hall-effect sensor. The field test proves that this indicator has improved the spraying performance by eliminating human error in estimating boom height, especially during night-time and dusty conditions

Three-dimensional topological phase on the diamond lattice

An interacting bosonic model of Kitaev type is proposed on the three-dimensional diamond lattice. Similarly to the two-dimensional Kitaev model on the honeycomb lattice which exhibits both Abelian and non-Abelian phases, the model has two (``weak'' and ``strong'' pairing) phases. In the weak pairing phase, the auxiliary Majorana hopping problem is in a topological superconducting phase characterized by a non-zero winding number introduced in A. P. Schnyder, S. Ryu, A. Furusaki, and A. W. W. Ludwig, arXiv:0803.2786. The topological character of the weak pairing phase is protected by a discrete symmetry.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Anyon Condensation and Continuous Topological Phase Transitions in Non-Abelian Fractional Quantum Hall States

We find a series of possible continuous quantum phase transitions between fractional quantum Hall (FQH) states at the same filling fraction in two-component quantum Hall systems. These can be driven by tuning the interlayer tunneling and/or interlayer repulsion. One side of the transition is the Halperin (p,p,p-3) Abelian two-component state while the other side is the non-Abelian Z4 parafermion (Read-Rezayi) state. We predict that the transition is a continuous transition in the 3D Ising class. The critical point is described by a Z2 gauged Ginzburg-Landau theory. These results have implications for experiments on two-component systems at \nu = 2/3 and single-component systems at \nu = 8/3.Comment: 4 pages + ref

Exterior splashes and linear sets of rank 3

In \PG(2,q^3), let $\pi$ be a subplane of order $q$ that is exterior to \li. The exterior splash of $\pi$ is defined to be the set of $q^2+q+1$ points on \li that lie on a line of $\pi$. This article investigates properties of an exterior \orsp\ and its exterior splash. We show that the following objects are projectively equivalent: exterior splashes, covers of the circle geometry $CG(3,q)$, Sherk surfaces of size $q^2+q+1$, and \GF(q)-linear sets of rank 3 and size $q^2+q+1$. We compare our construction of exterior splashes with the projection construction of a linear set. We give a geometric construction of the two different families of sublines in an exterior splash, and compare them to the known families of sublines in a scattered linear set of rank 3