Non-invertible Condensation, Duality, and Triality Defects in 3+1 Dimensions

Apr 19, 2022
61 pages
Published in:
  • Commun.Math.Phys. 402 (2023) 1, 489-542
  • Published: May 19, 2023
e-Print:
Report number:
  • YITP-SB-2022-16,
  • MIT/CTP-5423,
  • YITP-SB-2022-16,
  • MIT/CTP-5423

Citations per year

202220232024202548737410
Abstract: (Springer)
We discuss a variety of codimension-one, non-invertible topological defects in general 3+1d QFTs with a discrete one-form global symmetry. These include condensation defects from higher gauging of the one-form symmetries on a codimension-one manifold, each labeled by a discrete torsion class, and duality and triality defects from gauging in half of spacetime. The universal fusion rules between these non-invertible topological defects and the one-form symmetry surface defects are determined. Interestingly, the fusion coefficients are generally not numbers, but 2+1d TQFTs, such as invertible SPT phases, ZN{\mathbb {Z}}_N gauge theories, and U(1)NU(1)_N Chern-Simons theories. The associativity of these algebras over TQFT coefficients relies on nontrivial facts about 2+1d TQFTs. We further prove that some of these non-invertible symmetries are intrinsically incompatible with a trivially gapped phase, leading to nontrivial constraints on renormalization group flows. Duality and triality defects are realized in many familiar gauge theories, including free Maxwell theory, non-abelian gauge theories with orthogonal gauge groups, N=1,{{{\mathcal {N}}}}=1, and N=4{{{\mathcal {N}}}}=4 super Yang-Mills theories.
Note:
  • 61 pages, 9 figures. v2: minor changes
  • field theory: topological
  • defect: topological
  • torsion: discrete
  • gauge field theory: Yang-Mills
  • symmetry: global
  • defect: condensation
  • dimension: 1
  • triality
  • duality