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  • Open Access

Emergent Photons and Confinement: A Numerical Study on ZN Lattice Gauge Theory

Jeffrey Giansiracusa, David Lanners, and Tin Sulejmanpasic

  • Department of Mathematical Sciences, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LP, United Kingdom

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 221901 – Published 25 November, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/h8mn-t4fk

Abstract

We numerically study ZN lattice gauge theories in 4D as prototypical models of systems with ZN 1-form symmetry. For N≥3, we provide evidence that such systems exhibit not only the expected phases with spontaneously broken/restored symmetry but also a third photon phase. When present, the 1-form symmetry provides a precise notion of confinement, and it is commonly believed that confinement ensues due to the proliferation of extended, stringlike objects known as center vortices, which carry a ZN flux. However, this picture is challenged by the three-phase scenario investigated here. We show that both the confined and the photon phases are associated with the proliferation of center vortices and that the key difference between them lies in whether or not vortex junctions—the monopoles— proliferate.

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Outline

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 221901– Published 25 November, 2025
  • Received 10 July 2025
  • Revised 7 October 2025
  • Accepted 20 October 2025
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