Related papers: Discrete Theta Angles, Symmetries and Anomalies
Symmetry-protected topological phases (SPT) are short-range entangled gapped states protected by global symmetry. Nontrivial SPT phases cannot be adiabatically connected to the trivial disordered state(or atomic insulator) as long as…
We study 't Hooft anomalies for discrete global symmetries in bosonic theories in 2, 3 and 4 dimensions. We show that such anomalies may arise in gauge theories with topological terms in the action, if the total symmetry group is a…
Starting from holography, we derive the symmetry TFT for $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM with $\mathfrak{so}(2n)$ gauge algebra, including terms which were previously unaccounted for holographically, by considering the action of the symmetry TFT on…
We study a topological field theory describing confining phases of gauge theories in four dimensions. It can be formulated on a lattice using a discrete 2-form field talking values in a finite abelian group (the magnetic gauge group). We…
A large class of gapped phases of matter can be described by topological finite group gauge theories. In this paper we show how such gauge theories possess a higher-group global symmetry, which we study in detail. We derive the $d$-group…
Topological spin liquids can be described by topological gauge theories with global symmetry. Due to the presence of both nontrivial bulk deconfined gauge fluxes and global symmetry, topological spin liquids are examples of the so-called…
We study discrete symmetries of Dijkgraaf-Witten theories and their gauging in the framework of (extended) functorial quantum field theory. Non-abelian group cohomology is used to describe discrete symmetries and we derive concrete…
We address the strong CP problem: why the physical QCD angle theta-bar must be extraordinarily small given the stringent bounds on the neutron electric dipole moment. Peccei-Quinn axion models can relax theta-bar dynamically, but rely on an…
We study a four-dimensional $U(1)$ gauge theory with the $\theta$ angle, which was originally proposed by Cardy and Rabinovici. It is known that the model has the rich phase diagram thanks to the presence of both electrically and…
It is well-known that if we gauge a $\mathbb{Z}_n$ symmetry in two dimensions, a dual $\mathbb{Z}_n$ symmetry appears, such that re-gauging this dual $\mathbb{Z}_n$ symmetry leads back to the original theory. We describe how this can be…
The topological $\theta$-angle in gauge theories engenders a series of fundamental phenomena, including violations of charge-parity (CP) symmetry, dynamical topological transitions, and confinement--deconfinement transitions. At the same…
Symmetry topological field theory (SymTFT), or topological holography, posits a correspondence between symmetries in a $d$-dimensional theory and topological order in a $(d+1)$-dimensional theory. In this work, we extend this framework to…
Gauge theories are important descriptions for many physical phenomena and systems in quantum computation. Automorphism of gauge group naturally gives global symmetries of gauge theories. In this work we study such symmetries in gauge…
We introduce a large class of $\theta$ angles in quantum field theory that we call symmetry $\theta$ angles. Unlike conventional $\theta$ angles whose definition depends on a choice of a path integral, symmetry $\theta$ angles are intrinsic…
In this paper we continue our investigation of the global categorical symmetries that arise when gauging finite higher groups and their higher subgroups with discrete torsion. The motivation is to provide a common perspective on the…
We study topological field theory describing gapped phases of gauge theories where the gauge symmetry is partially Higgsed and partially confined. The TQFT can be formulated both in the continuum and on the lattice and generalizes…
We develop a mathematical theory of symmetry protected trivial (SPT) orders and anomaly-free symmetry enriched topological (SET) orders in all dimensions via two different approaches with an emphasis on the second approach. The first…
In general quantum field theories (QFTs), ordinary (0-form) global symmetries and 1-form symmetries can combine into 2-group global symmetries. We describe this phenomenon in detail using the language of symmetry defects. We exhibit a…
A large class of symmetry-protected topological phases (SPT) in boson / spin systems have been recently predicted by the group cohomology theory. In this work, we consider SPT states at least with charge symmetry (U(1) or Z$_N$) or spin…
We investigate the gauging of higher-form finite Abelian symmetries and their sub-groups in quantum spin models in spatial dimensions $d=2$ and 3. Doing so, we naturally uncover gauged models with dual higher-group symmetries and potential…