Emergent superconformal symmetry in the phase diagram of a 1D Z2 lattice gauge theory
Emergent superconformal symmetry in the phase diagram of a 1D Z2 lattice gauge theory
B. Beradze,M. Tsitsishvili,Sergej Moroz
Abstract
We investigate the phase diagram and critical properties of a one-dimensional Z2 lattice gauge theory describing an orthogonal metal, where spinless fermions and Ising spins are minimally coupled to a deconfined Z2 gauge field. Working at half-filling of fermions, we derive an exact gauge-invariant formulation that maps the model onto decoupled XXZ and transverse-field Ising chains. This mapping enables a controlled low-energy field-theory description in terms of a perturbed Luttinger liquid and Ising conformal field theories. Combining analytical arguments with numerical simulations, we determine the full phase diagram and identify various critical and multi-critical regimes. Along a specific multi-critical line, where the fermionic and bosonic velocities coincide, we find strong evidence for an emergent superconformal symmetry. Our results establish a minimal lattice realization of emergent superconformal criticalities in a gauge-matter system and provide a route toward its exploration in quantum simulators.
