Gauging nexus between topological and fracton phases

Coupled layer constructions are a valuable tool for capturing the universal properties of certain interacting quantum phases of matter in terms of the simpler data that characterizes the underlying layers. In the study of fracton phases, the X-cube model in 3+1D can be realized via such a construction by starting with a stack of 2+1D toric codes and turning on a coupling that condenses a composite “particle-string” object. In a recent work [Phys. Rev. B 112, 125124 (2025)], we have demonstrated that in fact, the particle string can be viewed as a symmetry defect of a topological 1-form symmetry. In this paper, we study the result of gauging this symmetry in depth. We unveil a rich gauging web relating the X-cube model to symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases protected by a mix of subsystem and higher-form symmetries, subsystem symmetry fractionalization in the 3+1D toric code, and nontrivial extensions of topological symmetries by subsystem symmetries. Our work emphasizes the importance of topological symmetries in nontopological, geometric phases of matter.