Sp(4,Z) actions on 3d U(1)^2 symmetric theories: Order-five duality and bilayer quantum Hall hierarchies

Abstract

The $\mathrm{SL}(2,\mathbb{Z})$ electromagnetic duality of 4d Maxwell theory induces theory-generating operations on 3d theories with $U(1)$ global symmetry. For theories with $U(1)^n$ symmetry, this structure generalizes to $\mathrm{Sp}(2n,\mathbb{Z})$. Focusing on the $U(1)^2$ case, we formulate the bulk $\mathrm{Sp}(4,\mathbb{Z})$ action and derive the corresponding boundary operations. We identify an intrinsically two-component element of order five, which generalizes the order-three $ST$ element of the single-$U(1)$ theory. Although its fifth power acts trivially in the bulk, the corresponding boundary operation closes only up to a decoupled $U(1)_1$ invertible phase, suggesting a mixed duality-gravitational anomaly. We realize the resulting theory-generating web for Abelian Chern-Simons theories within the $K$-matrix formalism and apply it to bilayer fractional quantum Hall systems. Recasting the Haldane--Halperin hierarchy construction as a sequence of $\mathrm{SL}(2,\mathbb{Z})$ operations, we generalize it to systems with charge $U(1)_c$ and pseudospin $U(1)_s$ symmetries. The resulting bilayer hierarchies contain branches terminating in an interlayer-correlated bosonic $(221)$ daughter sector, yielding candidate Abelian states at the even-denominator equal-layer fillings $3/8+3/8$ and $5/12+5/12$. Integral changes of anyon basis establish the equivalence of these states to their corresponding Abelian composite-fermion descriptions. We further discuss the spin-charge constraints that arise when the electromagnetic background field is treated as a spin-$c$ connection.