English

From gauge anomalies to gerbes and gerbal actions

Differential Geometry 2008-12-12 v1 High Energy Physics - Theory Mathematical Physics math.MP

Abstract

The purpose of this contribution is to point out connections between recent ideas about gerbes and gerbal actions (as higher categorical extension of representation theory) and old discussion in quantum field theory on commutator anomalies, gauge group extensions, and 3-cocycles. The unifying concept is the classical obstruction theory for group extensions as explained in the reference [ML].

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.0812.1640,
  title  = {From gauge anomalies to gerbes and gerbal actions},
  author = {Jouko Mickelsson},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0812.1640},
  year   = {2008}
}

Comments

11 pages, based on the talk on "Fractional Loop Groups" at the meeting "Motives, Quantum Field Theory, and Pseudodifferential Operators", Boston University, June 2-13, 2008