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Related papers: A SymTFT for Continuous Symmetries

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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…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2019-03-28 Francesco Benini , Clay Cordova , Po-Shen Hsin

Topological defects and operators give a far-reaching generalization of symmetries of quantum fields. An auxiliary topological field theory in one dimension higher than the QFT of interest, known as the SymTFT, provides a natural way for…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2025-12-15 Federico Bonetti , Michele Del Zotto , Ruben Minasian

The $(D+1)$-dimensional symmetry topological field theory (SymTFT$_{D+1}$) of a $D$-dimensional absolute quantum field theory (QFT$_D$) provides a topological characterization of symmetry data. In this framework, the SymTFT comes equipped…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2026-04-22 Oren Bergman , Jonathan J. Heckman , Max Hübner , Daniele Migliorati , Xingyang Yu , Hao Y. Zhang

We study 3d and 4d systems with a one-form global symmetry, explore their consequences, and analyze their gauging. For simplicity, we focus on $\mathbb{Z}_N$ one-form symmetries. A 3d topological quantum field theory (TQFT) $\mathcal{T}$…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2019-04-02 Po-Shen Hsin , Ho Tat Lam , Nathan Seiberg

We develop a general framework for studying phases of mixed states with strong and weak symmetries, including non-invertible or categorical symmetries. The central idea is to consider a purification of the mixed state density matrix, which…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2025-07-09 Sakura Schafer-Nameki , Apoorv Tiwari , Alison Warman , Carolyn Zhang

In this paper we use the AdS/CFT correspondence to refine and then establish a set of old conjectures about symmetries in quantum gravity. We first show that any global symmetry, discrete or continuous, in a bulk quantum gravity theory with…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2019-06-07 Daniel Harlow , Hirosi Ooguri

The symmetry data of a $d$-dimensional quantum field theory (QFT) can often be captured in terms of a higher-dimensional symmetry topological field theory (SymTFT). In top down (i.e., stringy) realizations of this structure, the QFT in…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2024-08-23 Mirjam Cvetič , Ron Donagi , Jonathan J. Heckman , Max Hübner , Ethan Torres

It is known that the 't Hooft anomalies of invertible global symmetries can be characterized by an invertible TQFT in one higher dimension. The analogous statement remains to be understood for non-invertible symmetries. In this note we…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2023-01-19 Justin Kaidi , Emily Nardoni , Gabi Zafrir , Yunqin Zheng

We study fermionic non-invertible symmetries in (1+1)d, which are generalized global symmetries that mix fermion parity symmetry with other invertible and non-invertible internal symmetries. Such symmetries are described by fermionic fusion…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2025-06-18 Lakshya Bhardwaj , Kansei Inamura , Apoorv Tiwari

RG flows and IR phases of QFTs can be constrained by generalized symmetries and their anomalies. Broken symmetries act on the space of coupling constants of families of theories, and can also have IR-constraining family anomalies. We…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2026-04-27 T. Daniel Brennan , Kenneth Intriligator

We propose a Symmetry Topological Field Theory (SymTFT) for continuous spacetime symmetries. For a $d$-dimensional theory, it is given by a $(d+1)$-dimensional BF-theory for the spacetime symmetry group, and whenever $d$ is even, it can…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2025-09-15 Fabio Apruzzi , Nicola Dondi , Iñaki García Etxebarria , Ho Tat Lam , Sakura Schafer-Nameki

We construct generalized symmetries in two-dimensional symmetric product orbifold CFTs $\text{Sym}^N(\mathcal{T}),$ for a generic seed CFT $\mathcal{T}$. These symmetries are more general than the universal and maximally symmetric ones…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2025-12-23 Nathan Benjamin , Suzanne Bintanja , Yu-Jui Chen , Michael Gutperle , Conghuan Luo , Dikshant Rathore

A $q$-form global symmetry is a global symmetry for which the charged operators are of space-time dimension $q$; e.g. Wilson lines, surface defects, etc., and the charged excitations have $q$ spatial dimensions; e.g. strings, membranes,…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2015-06-23 Davide Gaiotto , Anton Kapustin , Nathan Seiberg , Brian Willett

Symmetries play an essential role in the construction and phenomenology of quantum field theories (QFTs). We discuss how to construct symmetries of QFTs by extending minimal "seed" symmetry groups to larger groups that contain the seed(s)…

High Energy Physics - Phenomenology · Physics 2025-11-20 Christian Döring , Andreas Trautner

Symmetry Topological Field Theory (SymTFT) is a framework to capture universal features of quantum many-body systems by viewing them as a boundary of topological order in one higher dimension. This has yielded numerous insights in static…

Strongly Correlated Electrons · Physics 2024-03-04 Vedant Motamarri , Campbell McLauchlan , Benjamin Béri

We introduce a class of generalized tube algebras which describe how finite, non-invertible global symmetries of bosonic 1+1d QFTs act on operators which sit at the intersection point of a collection of boundaries and interfaces. We develop…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2026-02-04 Yichul Choi , Brandon C. Rayhaun , Yunqin Zheng

We propose a manifestly supersymmetric formulation of the Symmetry Topological Field Theory (SuSymTFT) for theories with supersymmetry. The SymTFT is a framework that helps organizing symmetries and anomalies of a QFT. Albeit a lot of…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2026-04-20 Federico Ambrosino , Alessandro Duci , Pietro Antonio Grassi , Silvia Penati

We describe a method to implement finite group global and gauged $q$-form symmetries into the axiomatic structure of $d$-dimensional Topological Quantum Field Theory (TQFT) in terms of bordisms decorated by cohomology classes. Namely, on a…

Mathematical Physics · Physics 2024-03-08 Manuel Furlan , Pavel Putrov

Geometric engineering is a collection of tools developed to establish dictionaries between local singularities in string theory and (supersymmetric) quantum fields. Extended operators and defects, as well as their higher quantum numbers…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2024-07-31 Michele Del Zotto , Shani Nadir Meynet , Robert Moscrop

Global Categorical Symmetries are a powerful new tool for analyzing quantum field theories. This volume compiles lecture notes from the 2022 and 2023 summer schools on Global Categorical Symmetries, held at the Perimeter Institute for…