String-net liquid

In condensed matter physics, a string-net is an extended object whose collective behavior has been proposed as a physical mechanism for topological order by Michael A. Levin and Xiao-Gang Wen. A particular string-net model may involve only closed loops; or networks of oriented, labeled strings obeying branching rules given by some gauge group; or still more general networks.[1]

  1. ^ Levin, Michael A. & Xiao-Gang Wen (12 January 2005). "String-net condensation: A physical mechanism for topological phases". Physical Review B. 71 (45110): 21. arXiv:cond-mat/0404617. Bibcode:2005PhRvB..71d5110L. doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.71.045110. S2CID 51962817.