Symmetry, Anomaly, Gauging, Proliferation, and Condensation
In the study of topological quantum field theories in 2+1 dimensions, it is common to perform an operation known as “anyon condensation.” This term is misleading. Two more appropriate terms for this operation are “gauging a one-form symmetry” or “anyon proliferation.” Interestingly, these two terms are similar, but not identical. We will clarify these different notions and use this insight to analyze various phase transitions out of a given topological order.