{
  "abstract": "Wegner's $\\mathbb{Z}_2$ gauge model is the earliest formulation of pure lattice gauge theory and predicts the topological nature of the confinement-deconfinement transition. In three dimensions ($D=3$), the equilibrium critical behavior of the model is understood in terms of geometrically defined objects, namely loop excitations and Fortuin-Kasteleyn (FK) clusters. This work investigates the critical quench dynamics of this model from a geometric perspective, following quenches from both a high-temperature percolation phase and the zero-temperature ground state. Using time-dependent finite-size scaling analysis, we find that the critical non-equilibrium relaxation of the percolation order parameter is governed by a dynamical exponent $z_{\\rm p} \\simeq 2.6$, consistent with that associated with the energy density, $z_{\\rm c}$. Importantly, the value of $z_{\\rm p}$ is robust with respect to the initial quench condition and the choice of geometrical objects. Furthermore, we provide a detailed characterization of the kinetics of different geometrical objects during the evolution from the percolation phase. Notably, we observe that the quench dynamics obeys dynamic scaling in terms of a growing lengthscale, $ξ_{\\rm p}(t) \\sim t^{1/z_{\\rm p}}$, despite the absence of a local order parameter.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": "Journal reference: J. Stat. Mech. (2026) 103202",
  "arxiv": "2605.15841",
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Ramgopal Agrawal"
    },
    {
      "name": "Leticia F. Cugliandolo"
    },
    {
      "name": "Marco Picco"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cgyd9qp3gkdh8.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2605.15841",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "cgyd9qp3gkdh8",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.15841",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "LicenseRef-arXiv-nonexclusive-1.0",
  "licence_label": "arXiv licence",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "cond-mat.stat-mech"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "hep-lat"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "hep-th"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2605.15841",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-15",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cgyd9qp3gkdh8.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:29:50Z",
      "native_id": "2605.15841",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.15841"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:hep-lat",
      "subfield": "high-energy"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:cond-mat.stat-mech",
      "subfield": "statistical-nonlinear"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Critical quench dynamics of Wegner's $\\mathbb{Z}_2$ gauge model: a geometric perspective",
  "title_text": "Critical quench dynamics of Wegner's ℤ_2 gauge model: a geometric perspective",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:29:50Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cgyd9qp3gkdh8",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": [
    {
      "doi": "10.1088/1742-5468/ae9fd5",
      "pid": null,
      "relation": "published-as",
      "title": null,
      "venue": null
    }
  ]
}