Related papers: Chern-Simons Theory, Vassiliev Invariants, Loop Qu…
These notes were inspired by the course ''Quantum Field Theory from a Functional Integral Point of View'' given at the University of Zurich in Spring 2017 by Santosh Kandel. We describe Feynman's path integral approach to quantum mechanics…
Recent studies of the $AdS_4/CFT_3$ correspondence involve the construction of a peculiar supersymmetric gauge theory on the worldvolume of multiple M2s branes as a boundary field theory. Under suitable conditions the quantum theory becomes…
For the abelian Chern-Simons field theory, we consider the quantum functional integration over the Deligne-Beilinson cohomology classes and we derive the main properties of the observables in a generic closed orientable 3-manifold. We…
We study the three-dimensional theory of two Chern-Simons gauge fields coupled to a scalar field in the bifundamental representation of the $SU(N)_k \times SU(M)_{-k}$ gauge group. At small but fixed $M \ll N$, this system approaches the…
We propose a closed gauge-invariant functional flow equation for Yang-Mills theories and quantum gravity that only involves one macroscopic gauge field or metric. It is based on a projection on physical and gauge fluctuations. Deriving this…
We perform the dual transformation of the Yang-Mills theory in d=3 dimensions using the Wilson action on the cubic lattice. The dual lattice is made of tetrahedra triangulating a 3-dimensional curved manifold but embedded into a flat…
For the abelian Chern-Simons field theory, we consider the quantum functional integration over the Deligne-Beilinson cohomology classes and present an explicit path-integral non-perturbative computation of the Chern-Simons link invariants…
A pedagogical and self-contained introduction to noncommutative quantum field theory is presented, with emphasis on those properties that are intimately tied to string theory and gravity. Topics covered include the Weyl-Wigner…
We discuss Vassiliev invariants for virtual knots, expanding upon the theory of quantum virtual knot invariants developed in arXiv:1509.00578. In particular, following the theory of quantum invariants we work with 'rotational' virtual…
Starting with three dimensional Chern--Simons theory with gauge group $Sl(N,R)$, we derive an action $S_{cov}$ invariant under both left and right $W_N$ transformations. We give an interpretation of $S_{cov}$ in terms of anomalies, and…
These theories, which are surely some of the simplest possible quantum field theories, were introduced in a paper of Dijkgraaf and Witten. The path integral reduces to a finite sum, so it is quite amenable to direct mathematical study.…
In this note, we revisit the 4-dimensional theory of massive gravity through compactification of an extra dimension and geometric symmetry breaking. We dimensionally reduce the 5-dimensional topological Chern-Simons gauge theory of (anti)…
Higher spin gravity is an interesting toy model of stringy geometry. Particularly intriguing is the presence of higher spin gauge transformations that redefine notions of invariance in gravity: the existence of event horizons and…
The frequency-dependent longitudinal and Hall conductivities --- $\sigma_{xx}$ and $\sigma_{xy}$ --- are dimensionless functions of $\omega/T$ in 2+1 dimensional CFTs at nonzero temperature. These functions characterize the spectrum of…
The classical formal equivalence upon a redefinition of the gauge connection between Chern-Simons theory and topological massive Yang-Mills theory in three-dimensional Euclidean space-time is analyzed at the quantum level within the BRST…
We derive formulas for the classical Chern-Simons invariant of irreducible $SU(n)$-flat connections on negatively curved locally symmetric three-manifolds. We determine the condition for which the theory remains consistent (with basic…
We summarize the progress made during the last few years on the study of Vassiliev invariants from the point of view of perturbative Chern-Simons gauge theory. We argue that this approach is the most promising one to obtain a combinatorial…
We give an explicit gauge invariant, off-shell and local double copy construction of gravity from Yang-Mills theory to quartic order. To this end we use the framework of homotopy algebras, and we identify a rich new algebraic structure…
We present basic constructions and properties in arithmetic Chern-Simons theory with finite gauge group along the line of topological quantum field theory. For a finite set $S$ of finite primes of a number field $k$, we construct arithmetic…
We study two-dimensional integrable field theories from the viewpoint of the four-dimensional Chern-Simons-type gauge theory introduced recently. The integrable field theories are realized as effective theories for the four-dimensional…