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Defects in Wigner crystals: Fracton-elasticity duality and vacancy proliferation

Paweł Matus*

  • *Contact author: matus@tauex.tau.ac.il
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Phys. Rev. B 113, 075138 – Published 20 February, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/dlkl-n4c6

Abstract

We develop a low-energy field theory for electrically charged crystals. Using the tools of fracton-elasticity duality, generalized to accommodate the magnetic one-form symmetry of electromagnetism, we show how the elastic and electromagnetic degrees of freedom couple to the different crystal defects and to one another. The resulting field theory is then used to calculate vacancy-vacancy interaction energy, and to study the consequences of vacancy proliferation. We find that the longitudinal mode, which in a perfect crystal has a finite gap due to plasma oscillations, becomes gapless in the presence of vacancies. Our framework lays a foundation for a study of defect interactions, their collective dynamics, and consequences of defect-mediated melting in charged crystals.

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Phys. Rev. B 113, 075138– Published 20 February, 2026
  • Received 28 September 2025
  • Accepted 3 February 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI. Open access publication funded by Max Planck Society.

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