Emergent $SO(5)$ Symmetry at the Néel to Valence-Bond-Solid Transition

We show numerically that the `deconfined' quantum critical point between the Néel antiferromagnet and the columnar valence-bond-solid, for a square lattice of spin-1/2s, has an emergent $SO(5)$ symmetry. This symmetry allows the Néel vector and the valence-bond-solid order parameter to be rotated into each other. It is a remarkable 2+1-dimensional analogue of the $SO(4)= [SU(2)\times SU(2)]/Z_2$ symmetry that appears in the scaling limit for the spin-1/2 Heisenberg chain. The emergent $SO(5)$ is strong evidence that the phase transition in the 2+1D system is truly continuous, despite the violations of finite-size scaling observed previously in this problem. It also implies surprising relations between correlation functions at the transition. The symmetry enhancement is expected to apply generally to the critical two-component Abelian Higgs model (non-compact $CP^1$ model). The result indicates that in three dimensions there is an $SO(5)$-symmetric conformal field theory which has no relevant singlet operators, so is radically different to conventional Wilson-Fisher-type conformal field theories.

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