On gauging finite subgroups
Abstract
We study in general spacetime dimension the symmetry of the theory obtained by gauging a non-anomalous finite normal Abelian subgroup of a -symmetric theory. Depending on how anomalous is, we find that the symmetry of the gauged theory can be i) a direct product of and a higher-form symmetry with a mixed anomaly, where is the Pontryagin dual of ; ii) an extension of the ordinary symmetry group by the higher-form symmetry ; iii) or even more esoteric types of symmetries which are no longer groups. We also discuss the relations to the effect called the symmetry localization obstruction in the condensed-matter theory and to some of the constructions in the works of Kapustin-Thorngren and Wang-Wen-Witten.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1712.09542,
title = {On gauging finite subgroups},
author = {Yuji Tachikawa},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1712.09542},
year = {2020}
}
Comments
26 pages; v3: numerous minor improvements suggested by an anonymous referee; v2: minor improvement in Sec. 2.6.1