On the extension of stringlike localised sectors in 2+1 dimensions (Q533663): Difference between revisions

The author's aim is to arrive at a modular category starting from an algebraic quantum field theory (AQFT) in three dimensions. In the paper some steps in this direction are taken. First, the author gives a brief overview of the basics of algebraic quantum field theory, also called \textit{local quantum physics}. The leading idea in AQFT is that local algebras of observables encode all relevant information of a given physical theory. The \textit{field net} is a net of algebras that generate the different superselection sectors by acting on the vacuum. It is endowed with an action of a compact group \(G\) of symmetries (sometimes called the gauge group). Then a superselection sector is a (unitary) equivalence class of representations satisfying this criterion. These representations can also be shown to have the structure of a tensor category resembling the category of representations of a compact group. In this category, one can define a braiding, closely related to the statistics of sectors. It is shown that the category of stringlike localised or BF representations has many of the properties of a modular category, too. The existence of DHR sectors, which cannot be ruled out a priori, is shown to be an obstruction for modularity. To remove this obstruction, the original theory \(\mathfrak{A}\) is extended to the field net \(\mathfrak{F}\), which can be seen as a new AQFT without DHR sectors. The relation between those theories is partially made clear, in particular by the crossed product construction. There is, however, one point that is not fully understood, namely the question whether the sectors in the new theory \(\mathfrak{F}\) can be completely described by the sectors of the theory \(\mathfrak{A}\).