Related papers: Quantum Wilson surfaces and topological interactio…
Let $V$ be an algebraic variety defined over $\mathbb R$, and $V_{top}$ the space of its complex points. We compare the algebraic Witt group $W(V)$ of symmetric bilinear forms on vector bundles over $V$, with the topological Witt group…
We generalize the geometrical formulation of Wilson loops recently introduced in arXiv:2003.01729v2 to the description of Wilson Surfaces. For N=(2,0) theory in six dimensions, we provide an explicit derivation of BPS Wilson Surfaces with…
We construct a class of topological field theories with Wess-Zumino term in spacetime dimensions $\ge 2$ whose target space has a geometrical structure that suitably generalizes Poisson or twisted Poisson manifolds. Assuming a field content…
We calculate various Wilson loop averages in a pure $SU(N)$-gauge theory on a two-dimensional sphere, in the large $N$ limit. The results can be expressed through the density of rows in the most probable Young tableau. They are valid in…
Monte Carlo studies of pure glue SU(3) gauge theory using the overlap-based topological charge operator have revealed a laminar structure in the QCD vacuum consisting of extended, thin, coherent, locally 3-dimensional sheets of topological…
We revisit the $u$-plane integral of the topologically twisted $\mathcal{N}=2$ super Yang-Mills theory, the Donaldson-Witten theory, on a closed four-manifold $X$ with embedded surfaces that support supersymmetric surface operators. This…
Let M be a manifold with Grassmann structure, i.e. with an isomorphism of the cotangent bundle T^*M\cong E\otimes H with the tensor product of two vector bundles E and H. We define the notion of a half-flat connection \nabla^W in a vector…
We develop a Hamiltonian description of point particles in (2+1)-dimensions using connection and frame-field variables for general relativity. The topology of each spatial hypersurface is that of a punctured two-sphere with particles…
We propose a formulation of d-dimensional SU(N) Yang-Mills theories on a d+2-dimensional space with the extra two dimensions forming a surface with non-commutative geometry. This equivalence is valid in any finite order in the 1/N…
We review the notions of (weak) Hermitian-Yang-Mills structure and approximate Hermitian-Yang-Mills structure for Higgs bundles. Then, we construct the Donaldson functional for Higgs bundles over compact K\"ahler manifolds and we present…
We extend Douglas' solution of the problem of finding minimal surfaces to anti-de Sitter space. The case of a circle as a boundary contour is elaborated. We discuss applications to ${\cal N}=4$ super Yang-Mills: a circular Wilson loop and…
We compute the Large N limit of several objects related to the two-dimensional Euclidean Yang-Mills measure on compact connected orientable surfaces of genus larger or equal to one, with a structure group taken among the classical groups of…
We describe a topological field theory that studies the moduli space of solutions of the symplectic vortex equations. It contains as special cases the topological sigma-model and topological Yang-Mills over Kahler surfaces. The correlation…
We introduce simple generic models of surface dynamics in loop quantum gravity (LQG). A quantum surface is defined as a set of elementary patches of area glued together. We provide it with an extra structure of locality (nearest neighbors),…
We consider the problem of defining localized subsystems in gauge theory and gravity. Such systems are associated to spacelike hypersurfaces with boundaries and provide the natural setting for studying entanglement entropy of regions of…
Over the last two years, the canonical approach to quantum gravity based on connections and triads has been put on a firm mathematical footing through the development and application of a new functional calculus on the space of gauge…
We study the correlation function of two circular Wilson loops at strong coupling in N=4 super Yang-Mills theory. Using the AdS/CFT correspondence, the problem maps to finding the minimal surface between two circles defined on the boundary…
A previous paper~\cite{Bern:2022kto} identified a puzzle stemming from the amplitudes-based approach to spinning bodies in general relativity: additional Wilson coefficients appear compared to current worldline approaches to conservative…
In this article, we propose the realization of conformal manifolds, which are smooth manifolds of scale-conformal invariant interacting Hamiltonians in two-dimensional quantum many-body systems. Such phenomena can occur in various…
We build nearly topological quantum field theories in various dimensions. We give special attention to the case of 8 dimensions for which we first consider theories depending only on Yang-Mills fields. Two classes of gauge functions exist…