Noninvertible gauge invariance in (2+1)d topological orders: a string-net model realization

A bstract We develop a systematic framework for understanding symmetries in topological phases in 2 + 1 dimensions using the string-net model, encompassing both gauge invariances that preserve anyon types and global symmetries permuting anyon types, including both invertible symmetries describable by groups and noninvertible symmetries described by categories. As an archetypal example, we reveal the first noninvertible categorical gauge invariance of topological orders in 2 + 1 dimensions: the Fibonacci gauge invariance of the doubled Fibonacci topological order, described by the Fibonacci fusion 2-category. Our approach involves two steps: first, classifying and establishing dualities between different string-net models describing the same topological order; and second, constructing symmetry transformations within the same string-net model when the dual models have isomorphic input data, achieved by composing duality maps with isomorphisms of degrees of freedom between the dual models.