Kinetic constraints are generally expected to slow down dynamics in many-body systems, obstructing or even completely suppressing transport of conserved charges. Here, we show how gauge theories can defy this wisdom by yielding constrained models with faster-than-diffusive dynamics. We first show how, upon integrating out the gauge fields, one-dimensional U(1) lattice gauge theories are exactly mapped onto XX models with nonlocal constraints. This class of kinetically constrained models interpolates between free theories and highly constrained local fermionic models. We find that energy transport is superdiffusive over a broad parameter regime. Even more drastically, spin transport exhibits ballistic behavior, albeit with anomalous finite-volume properties as a consequence of gauge invariance. Our findings are relevant to current efforts in quantum simulations of gauge-theory dynamics and anomalous hydrodynamics in closed quantum many-body systems.

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• Anomalous diffusion
• Ballistic transport
• Density matrix renormalization group
• Gauge theories
• Lattice dynamics
• Quantum fluctuations & noise
• Quantum transport
• Spinless fermions
• Quantum spin models
• Exact diagonalization
• Hydrodynamics
• Kinetically constrained models
• Lattice gauge theory
• Tensor network methods