Deconfined quantum criticality in Ising gauge theory entangled with single-component fermions

Investigating novel manifestations of quantum criticality is central to modern theoretical condensed matter physics. Here, the authors unveil the exotic quantum phase diagram of a two-dimensional system of single-component fermions, minimally coupled to dynamical Ising gauge fields. With state-of-the-art numerical methods, the authors detect a robust quantum critical line, where gauge confinement and translation symmetry breaking occur simultaneously. The authors conjecture a $u(1)$ deconfined criticality scenario, and propose a corresponding low-energy effective field theory of the exotic quantum critical point.