About

Meng Cheng is a theoretical physicist in the Department of Physics at Yale University. His research focuses on quantum condensed matter theory, with a particular emphasis on the classification and characterization of exotic quantum phases of matter. As a condensed matter theorist, he contributes to advancing the understanding of complex quantum systems and their unique properties.

Research topics

• Quantum mechanics
• Physics
• Mathematics
• Statistical physics
• Geometry
• Computer Science
• Algorithm
• Theoretical physics
• Mathematical analysis
• Statistics

Selected publications

• Topological Stabilizer Models on Continuous Variables

  Physical Review X · 2026-01-13 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen access

  We construct a family of two-dimensional topological stabilizer codes on continuous variable (CV) degrees of freedom, which generalize homological rotor codes and the toric-GKP code. Our topological codes are built using the concept of boson condensation—we start from a parent stabilizer code based on an <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <a:mi mathvariant="double-struck">R</a:mi> </a:math> gauge theory and condense various bosonic excitations. This produces a large class of topological CV stabilizer codes, including ones that are characterized by the anyon theories of <d:math xmlns:d="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <d:mi mathvariant="normal">U</d:mi> <d:mo stretchy="false">(</d:mo> <d:mn>1</d:mn> <d:msub> <d:mo stretchy="false">)</d:mo> <d:mrow> <d:mn>2</d:mn> <d:mi>n</d:mi> </d:mrow> </d:msub> <d:mo>×</d:mo> <d:mi mathvariant="normal">U</d:mi> <d:mo stretchy="false">(</d:mo> <d:mn>1</d:mn> <d:msub> <d:mo stretchy="false">)</d:mo> <d:mrow> <d:mo>−</d:mo> <d:mn>2</d:mn> <d:mi>m</d:mi> </d:mrow> </d:msub> </d:math> Chern-Simons theories, for arbitrary pairs of positive integers <l:math xmlns:l="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <l:mo stretchy="false">(</l:mo> <l:mi>n</l:mi> <l:mo>,</l:mo> <l:mi>m</l:mi> <l:mo stretchy="false">)</l:mo> </l:math> . Most notably, this includes anyon theories that are nonchiral and nevertheless do not admit a gapped boundary. It is widely believed that such anyon theories cannot be realized by any stabilizer model on finite-dimensional systems. We conjecture that these CV codes go beyond codes obtained from concatenating a topological qudit code with a local encoding into CVs, and thus constitute the first example of topological codes that are intrinsic to CV systems. Moreover, we study the Hamiltonians associated with the topological CV stabilizer codes and show that, although they have a gapless spectrum, they can become gapped with the addition of a quadratic perturbation. We show that similar methods can be used to construct a gapped Hamiltonian whose anyon theory agrees with a <p:math xmlns:p="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <p:mi mathvariant="normal">U</p:mi> <p:mo stretchy="false">(</p:mo> <p:mn>1</p:mn> <p:msub> <p:mo stretchy="false">)</p:mo> <p:mn>2</p:mn> </p:msub> </p:math> Chern-Simons theory. Our work initiates the study of scalable stabilizer codes that are intrinsic to CV systems and highlights how error-correcting codes can be used to design and analyze many-body systems of CVs that model lattice gauge theories.

  PublisherDOI

• Topological Stabilizer Models on Continuous Variables

  Physical Review X · 2026-01-13

  articleOpen access

  We construct a family of two-dimensional topological stabilizer codes on continuous variable (CV) degrees of freedom, which generalize homological rotor codes and the toric-GKP code. Our topological codes are built using the concept of boson condensation—we start from a parent stabilizer code based on an <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <a:mi mathvariant="double-struck">R</a:mi> </a:math> gauge theory and condense various bosonic excitations. This produces a large class of topological CV stabilizer codes, including ones that are characterized by the anyon theories of <d:math xmlns:d="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <d:mi mathvariant="normal">U</d:mi> <d:mo stretchy="false">(</d:mo> <d:mn>1</d:mn> <d:msub> <d:mo stretchy="false">)</d:mo> <d:mrow> <d:mn>2</d:mn> <d:mi>n</d:mi> </d:mrow> </d:msub> <d:mo>×</d:mo> <d:mi mathvariant="normal">U</d:mi> <d:mo stretchy="false">(</d:mo> <d:mn>1</d:mn> <d:msub> <d:mo stretchy="false">)</d:mo> <d:mrow> <d:mo>−</d:mo> <d:mn>2</d:mn> <d:mi>m</d:mi> </d:mrow> </d:msub> </d:math> Chern-Simons theories, for arbitrary pairs of positive integers <l:math xmlns:l="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <l:mo stretchy="false">(</l:mo> <l:mi>n</l:mi> <l:mo>,</l:mo> <l:mi>m</l:mi> <l:mo stretchy="false">)</l:mo> </l:math> . Most notably, this includes anyon theories that are nonchiral and nevertheless do not admit a gapped boundary. It is widely believed that such anyon theories cannot be realized by any stabilizer model on finite-dimensional systems. We conjecture that these CV codes go beyond codes obtained from concatenating a topological qudit code with a local encoding into CVs, and thus constitute the first example of topological codes that are intrinsic to CV systems. Moreover, we study the Hamiltonians associated with the topological CV stabilizer codes and show that, although they have a gapless spectrum, they can become gapped with the addition of a quadratic perturbation. We show that similar methods can be used to construct a gapped Hamiltonian whose anyon theory agrees with a <p:math xmlns:p="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <p:mi mathvariant="normal">U</p:mi> <p:mo stretchy="false">(</p:mo> <p:mn>1</p:mn> <p:msub> <p:mo stretchy="false">)</p:mo> <p:mn>2</p:mn> </p:msub> </p:math> Chern-Simons theory. Our work initiates the study of scalable stabilizer codes that are intrinsic to CV systems and highlights how error-correcting codes can be used to design and analyze many-body systems of CVs that model lattice gauge theories.

  PublisherDOI

• Asymptotic colengths for families of ideals: an analytic approach

  Journal of Algebra · 2026-04-27

  preprintOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Co-activation of the super-enhancer complex SOX2 and HDAC1 confers temozolomide resistance by promoting PDGFB transcription in glioblastoma

  Neuro-Oncology · 2025-09-12 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Temozolomide (TMZ) resistance remains the major obstacle in the treatment of glioblastoma (GBM). We previously found that the super-enhancer (SE) complex is involved in the regulation of genes related to tumor biology, but its mechanisms in mediating TMZ resistance in GBM remain poorly characterized. METHODS: Comprehensive in vitro and in vivo functional experiments were conducted using patient-derived cells (PDCs), patient-derived organoids, and PDCs xenograft models. Cleavage Under Targets and Tagmentation, chromatin immunoprecipitation, co-immunoprecipitation, mass spectrometry, protein fragment complementation assay, dual-luciferase reporter assay, fluorescence polarization assay, and surface plasmon resonance assay were employed to unravel the molecular mechanisms. RESULTS: We found that SOX2 is significantly upregulated in TMZ-resistant PDCs and associated with the poor prognosis of recurrent GBM patients. Moreover, inhibition of SOX2 enhanced TMZ-induced apoptosis and DNA damage response, thereby promoting TMZ chemosensitivity. Mechanically, we identified PDGFB as a novel SE-associated oncogene mediated by SOX2. SE complex SOX2 and HDAC1 were recruited together to the SE region of PDGFB, synergistically triggering the PDGFB-MAPK/PI3K signaling axis and ultimately promoting TMZ resistance. Notably, virtual screening targeting the critical interaction domain between SOX2 and HDAC1 identified the FDA-approved drug fluvastatin as a potent SOX2 inhibitor that effectively sensitizes GBM cells to TMZ. CONCLUSIONS: Targeting the SE complex enhances TMZ chemosensitivity in GBM, providing a promising therapeutic avenue to overcome drug resistance and improve clinical outcomes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Disorder operators in two-dimensional Fermi and non-Fermi liquids through multidimensional bosonization

  Physical review. B./Physical review. B · 2025-10-09

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Sudden change in the entanglement Hamiltonian: Phase diagram of an Ising entanglement Hamiltonian

  Physical review. B./Physical review. B · 2025-05-31 · 2 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Chiral spin liquid in a generalized Kitaev honeycomb model with <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msub><mml:mi mathvariant="double-struck">Z</mml:mi><mml:mn>4</mml:mn></mml:msub></mml:math> 1-form symmetry

  Physical review. B./Physical review. B · 2025-01-14 · 1 citations

  article

  We explore a large $N$ generalization of the Kitaev model on the honeycomb lattice with a simple nearest-neighbor interacting Hamiltonian. In particular, we focus on the ${\mathbb{Z}}_{4}$ case with isotropic couplings, which is characterized by an exact ${\mathbb{Z}}_{4}$ 1-form symmetry. Guided by symmetry considerations and an analytical study in the single-chain limit, on infinitely long cylinders, we find the model is gapped with an extremely short correlation length. Combined with the ${\mathbb{Z}}_{4}$ 1-form symmetry, this suggests the model is topologically ordered. To pin down the nature of this phase, we further study the model on both finite and infinitely long strips, where we consistently find a $c=1$ conformal field theory (CFT) description, suggesting the existence of chiral edge modes described by a free boson CFT. Further evidence is found by studying the dimer correlators on infinitely long strips. We find the dimer correlation functions show a power-law decay with the exponent close to 2 on the boundary of the strip, while decaying much faster in the bulk. Combined with the topological entanglement entropy extracted from cylinder geometry, we identify the phase as a chiral spin liquid with a $\mathrm{U}{(1)}_{\ensuremath{-}8}$ chiral topological order. A unified perspective for all ${\mathbb{Z}}_{N}$ type Kitaev models is also discussed.

  PublisherDOI

• Topological holography, quantum criticality, and boundary states

  SciPost Physics · 2025-06-30 · 33 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Topological holography is a holographic principle that describes the generalized global symmetry of a local quantum system in terms of a topological order in one higher dimension. This framework separates the topological data from the local dynamics of a theory and provides a unified description of the symmetry and duality in gapped and gapless phases of matter. In this work, we develop the topological holographic picture for (1+1) d <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <mml:mi>d</mml:mi> </mml:math> quantum phases, including both gapped phases as well as a wide range of quantum critical points, including phase transitions between symmetry protected topological (SPT) phases, symmetry enriched quantum critical points, deconfined quantum critical points, and intrinsically gapless SPT phases. Topological holography puts a strong constraint on the emergent symmetry and the anomaly for these critical theories. We show how the partition functions of these critical points can be obtained from dualizing (orbifolding) more familiar critical theories. The topological responses of the defect operators are also discussed in this framework. We further develop a topological holographic picture for conformal boundary states of (1+1) d <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <mml:mi>d</mml:mi> </mml:math> rational conformal field theories. This framework provides a simple physical picture to understand conformal boundary states and also uncovers the nature of the gapped phases corresponding to the boundary states.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Minimal Fractional Topological Insulator in Half-Filled Conjugate Moiré Chern Bands

  Physical Review X · 2025-05-21 · 8 citations

  articleOpen access

  We propose a “minimal” fractional topological insulator (mFTI), motivated by the recent experimental report on the fractional quantum spin-Hall effect in a transition metal dichalcogenide moiré system. The observed effect suggests the possibility of a topological state living in a pair of half-filled conjugate Chern bands with Chern numbers <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><a:mi>C</a:mi><a:mo>=</a:mo><a:mo>±</a:mo><a:mn>1</a:mn></a:math>. We propose the mFTI as a novel candidate topological state in the half-filled conjugate Chern bands. The mFTI is characterized by the following features. (1) It is a fully gapped topological order (TO) with 16 Abelian anyons if the electron is considered trivial (32 including electrons), (2) the minimally charged anyon carries electric charge <c:math xmlns:c="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><c:msup><c:mi>e</c:mi><c:mo>*</c:mo></c:msup><c:mo>=</c:mo><c:mi>e</c:mi><c:mo>/</c:mo><c:mn>2</c:mn></c:math>, together with the fractional quantum spin-Hall conductance, implying the robustness of the mFTI’s gapless edge state whenever time-reversal symmetry and charge conservation are present, and (3) the mFTI is minimal in the sense that it has the smallest total quantum dimension (a metric for the TO’s complexity) within all the TOs that can potentially be realized at the same electron filling and with the same Hall transports; the mFTI is also the minimal TO that respects time-reversal symmetry. (4) The mFTI is the common descendant of multiple valley-decoupled “product TOs” with larger quantum dimensions. It can also be viewed as the result of gauging multiple symmetry-protected topological states. Similar mFTIs are classified and constructed for a pair of <e:math xmlns:e="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><e:mn>1</e:mn><e:mo>/</e:mo><e:mi>q</e:mi></e:math>-filled conjugate Chern bands. We further classify the mFTIs via the stability of the gapless interfaces between them.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Universal contributions to charge fluctuations in spin chains at finite temperature

  Physical review. B./Physical review. B · 2025-05-05 · 4 citations

  articleSenior author

  At finite temperature, conserved charges undergo thermal fluctuations in a quantum many-body system in the grand canonical ensemble. The full structure of the fluctuations of the total $\mathrm{U}(1)$ charge $Q$ can be succinctly captured by the generating function $G(\ensuremath{\theta})=\ensuremath{\langle}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{e}}^{\mathrm{i}\ensuremath{\theta}Q}\ensuremath{\rangle}$. For a 1D translation-invariant spin chain in the thermodynamic limit, the magnitude $|G(\ensuremath{\theta})|$ scales with the system size $L$ as $ln|G(\ensuremath{\theta})|=\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\alpha}(\ensuremath{\theta})L+\ensuremath{\gamma}(\ensuremath{\theta})$, where $\ensuremath{\gamma}(\ensuremath{\theta})$ is the scale-invariant contribution and may encode universal information about the underlying system. In this work, we investigate the behavior and physical meaning of $\ensuremath{\gamma}(\ensuremath{\theta})$ when the system is periodic. We find that $\ensuremath{\gamma}(\ensuremath{\theta})$ only takes nonzero values at isolated points of $\ensuremath{\theta}$, which is $\ensuremath{\theta}=\ensuremath{\pi}$ for all our examples. In two exemplary lattice systems, we show that $\ensuremath{\gamma}(\ensuremath{\pi})$ takes quantized values when the $\mathrm{U}(1)$ symmetry exhibits a specific type of 't Hooft anomaly with other symmetries. In other cases, we investigate how $\ensuremath{\gamma}(\ensuremath{\theta})$ depends on microscopic conditions (such as the filling factor) in field theory and exactly solvable lattice models.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• CAREER: Interplay of Symmetry and Topology in Condensed Matter Systems

  NSF · $500k · 2019–2024

Frequent coauthors

• Youfang Sun

  Chinese Academy of Sciences

  56 shared

• Yuyang Zhang

  Central South University

  56 shared

• Jiansheng Lian

  South China Sea Institute Of Oceanology

  56 shared

• Lei Jiang

  University of Hong Kong

  56 shared

• Lintao Huang

  South China Sea Institute Of Oceanology

  52 shared

• Xiaolei Yu

  University of Hong Kong

  52 shared

• Yong Luo

  46 shared

• Xinming Lei

  University of Hong Kong

  36 shared

Awards & honors

• NSF CAREER award (2019)
• Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellowship (2019)