English

Higher-form anomalies and state-operator correspondence beyond conformal invariance

High Energy Physics - Theory 2026-01-21 v2

Abstract

We establish a state-operator correspondence for a class of non-conformal quantum field theories with continuous higher-form symmetries and a mixed anomaly. Such systems can always be realised as a relativistic superfluid. The symmetry structure induces an infinite tower of conserved charges, which we construct explicitly. These charges satisfy an abelian current algebra with a central extension, generalising the familiar Kac-Moody algebras to higher dimensions. States and operators are organised into representations of this algebra, enabling a direct correspondence. We demonstrate the correspondence explicitly in free examples by performing the Euclidean path integral on a dd-dimensional ball, with local operators inserted in the origin, and matching to energy eigenstates on Sd1S^{d-1} obtained by canonical quantisation. Interestingly, in the absence of conformal invariance, the empty path integral prepares a squeezed vacuum rather than the true ground state.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2507.01104,
  title  = {Higher-form anomalies and state-operator correspondence beyond conformal invariance},
  author = {Stathis Vitouladitis},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2507.01104},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

32 pages + appendices, 1 figure; v2: minor edits, added references, matches published version

R2 v1 2026-07-01T03:42:13.018Z