Related papers: Gauge Defects
For any quantum system invariant under gauging a higher-form global symmetry, we construct a non-invertible topological defect by gauging in only half of spacetime. This generalizes the Kramers-Wannier duality line in 1+1 dimensions to…
We study gauge theories with/without an extra dimension at finite temperature, in which there are two kinds of order parameters of gauge symmetry breaking. The one is the zero mode of the gauge field for the Euclidean time direction and the…
Cosmological perturbation theory is an example of a gauge theory, where gauge transformations correspond to changes in the space-time coordinate system. To determine physical quantities, one is free to introduce gauge conditions (\ie to…
Topological order of a topological phase of matter in two spacial dimensions is encoded by a unitary modular (tensor) category (UMC). A group symmetry of the topological phase induces a group symmetry of its corresponding UMC. Gauging is a…
Gauging is a powerful operation on symmetries in quantum field theory (QFT), as it connects distinct theories and also reveals hidden structures in a given theory. We initiate a systematic investigation of gauging discrete generalized…
The aim of the present article is to describe the symmetry structure of a general gauge (singular) theory, and, in particular, to relate the structure of gauge transformations with the constraint structure of a theory in the Hamiltonian…
Gauge symmetry plays a key role in our description of subatomic matter. The vanishing photon mass, the long-ranged Coulomb law, and asymptotic freedom are all due to gauge invariance. Recent years have seen tantalizing progress in the…
The application of the notion of `observable' from gauge theory to diffeomorphism-invariant theories -- most relevantly to general relativity -- has led to numerous conceptual and technical issues when interpreting classical theories with…
We present practical and formal methods for gauging non-invertible symmetries in (2+1)d topological quantum field theories. Along the way, we generalize various aspects of invertible 0-form gauging, including symmetry fractionalization,…
The idea of gauging (i.e. making local) symmetries of a physical system is a central feature of many modern field theories. Usually, one starts with a Lagrangian for some scalar or spinor matter fields, with the Lagrangian being invariant…
In this paper we discuss gauging one-form symmetries in two-dimensional theories. The existence of a global one-form symmetry in two dimensions typically signals a violation of cluster decomposition -- an issue resolved by the observation…
It is well-known that gauging a finite 0-form symmetry in a quantum field theory leads to a dual symmetry generated by topological Wilson line defects. These are described by the representations of the 0-form symmetry group which form a…
In this paper, I explain how gauge symmetry can be broken in a geometric way, \`{a} la Kaluza-Klein. In higher dimensional gravitational theories, one usually considers the extra dimensions to be ``frozen'' in time. However, the internal…
Local gauge theories are in a complicated relationship with boundaries. Whereas fixing the gauge can often shave off unwanted redundancies, the coupling of different bounded regions requires the use of gauge-variant elements. Therefore,…
We consider a gauge symmetry in a quantum Hilbert space. The symmetry leads to that of the heat-kernel and of the anomaly formulae which were previously obtained by the authors. This greatly simplifies and clarifies the structure of the…
We discuss some aspects of the relation between dualities and gauge symmetries. Both of these ideas are of course multi-faceted, and we confine ourselves to making two points. Both points are about dualities in string theory, and both have…
We consider two conformal defects close to each other in a free theory, and study what happens as the distance between them goes to zero. This limit is the same as zooming out, and the two defects have fused to another defect. As we zoom in…
A gauge transformation in quantum electrodynamics involves the product of field operators at the same space-time point and hence does not have a well-defined meaning. One way to avoid this difficulty is to generalize the gauge…
Gauges, or convex distance functions are, roughly speaking, norms without symmetry. In this paper we intend to quantify how asymmetric a planar gauge can be. We introduce asymmetry measures for smooth gauges and for strictly convex gauges,…
This note addresses the question whether in a gauge theory coupled to gravity internal and spacetime transformation can be mixed. It is shown that if the VEV of the gauge field is flat, the symmetry group is always a product of internal and…