Related papers: Quantum Wilson surfaces and topological interactio…
Wilson lines in gauge theories admit several path integral descriptions. The first one (due to Alekseev-Faddeev-Shatashvili) uses path integrals over coadjoint orbits. The second one (due to Diakonov-Petrov) replaces a 1-dimensional path…
This is the second of a series of two papers devoted to the partition function realization of Wilson surfaces in strict higher gauge theory. A higher 2--dimensional counterpart of the topological coadjoint orbit quantum mechanical model…
We investigate the topological theory obtained by twisting the N=(2,2) supersymmetric nonlinear sigma model with target a bihermitian space with torsion. For the special case in which the two complex structures commute, we show that the…
The partition function of Euclidean Yang-Mills theory on two dimensional surfaces is given by the Migdal formula. It involves the area and topological characteristics of the surface. We consider this theory on a class of infinite genus…
The lattice definition of the two-dimensional topological quantum field theory [Fukuma, {\em et al}, Commun.~Math.~Phys.\ {\bf 161}, 157 (1994)] is generalized to arbitrary (not necessarily orientable) compact surfaces. It is shown that…
We study a topological Yang-Mills theory with $N=2$ fermionic symmetry. Our formalism is a field theoretical interpretation of the Donaldson polynomial invariants on compact K\"{a}hler surfaces. We also study an analogous theory on compact…
A surface of codimension higher than one embedded in an ambient space possesses a connection associated with the rotational freedom of its normal vector fields. We examine the Yang-Mills functional associated with this connection. The…
In math.SG/0605587, we studied Yang-Mills functional on the space of connections on a principal G_R-bundle over a closed, connected, nonorientable surface, where G_R is any compact connected Lie group. In this sequel, we generalize the…
A new topological field theory is constructed, which is characterized by cubic interactions similar to those of non-abelian Chern-Simons field theories, but still retains the simplicity of the abelian case. The perturbative expansion of…
In the context of non-abelian gerbes we define a cubical version of categorical group 2-bundles with connection over a smooth manifold. We define their two-dimensional parallel transport, study its properties, and define non-abelian Wilson…
We define supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory on an arbitrary two-dimensional lattice (polygon decomposition) with preserving one supercharge. When a smooth Riemann surface $\Sigma_g$ with genus $g$ emerges as an appropriate continuum limit of…
In these lectures we present a general introduction to topological quantum field theories. These theories are discussed in the framework of the Mathai-Quillen formalism and in the context of twisted N=2 supersymmetric theories. We discuss…
N=2 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories are described in terms of a Hitchin system over a Riemann surface C. Focusing on strongly coupled Argyres-Douglas theories, we show that the corresponding flat bundle over C can be quantized such that…
A new class of two dimensional integrable field theories, based on the mathematical notion of Poisson manifolds, and containing gravity-Yang-Mills systems as well as the G/G gauged Wess-Zumino Witten-model, are presented. The local…
I review some recent results on four-manifold invariants which have been obtained in the context of topological quantum field theory. I focus on three different aspects: (a) the computation of correlation functions, which give explicit…
The correlation functions of open Wilson line operators in two-dimensional Yang-Mills theory on the noncommutative torus are computed exactly. The correlators are expressed in two equivalent forms. An instanton expansion involves only…
We study the phase structure of four-dimensional N=1 super Yang-Mills theories realized on D6-branes wrapping the RP^3 of a Z_2 orbifold of the deformed conifold. The non-trivial fundamental group of RP^3 allows for the gauge group to be…
Using covariant phase space formulations for the natural topological invariants associated with the world-surface in closed string theory, we find that certain Wilson loops defined on the world-surface and that preserve topological…
We study the path integral of a twisted $N=2$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory coupled with hypermultiplet having the bare mass. We explicitly compute the topological correlation functions for the $SU(2)$ theory on a compact oriented simply…
This is the first of a series of two papers devoted to the partition function realization of Wilson surfaces in strict higher gauge theory. A higher version of the Kirillov-Kostant-Souriau theory of coadjoint orbits is presented based on…