Two dimensional lattice gauge theory based on a quantum group (Q1912587)

In the present work the authors define and study a quantum deformation of a lattice gauge theory on a triangulated surface. The gauge symmetry is described by a deformation of the algebra of continuous functions on a Lie group. The gauge fields living on the links generate an algebra on which coacts the gauge symmetry. Invariance under the gauge symmetry implies that this algebra is the algebra of gauge fields of \textit{A. Yu. Alekseev}, \textit{H. Grosse} and \textit{V. Schomerus} [ibid. 172, 317-358 (1995; Zbl 0842.58037), 174, 561-604 (1996; Zbl 0842.58038)]. The presentation of the gauge symmetry is dual to these authors and do not involve any involution. Using this point of view computations are greatly simplified. Wilson loops in this formalism are obtained using the notion of quantum trace and have the usual properties: invariance under departure point, gauge invariance. They are used as usual to define the Boltzmann weights of the theory. These Boltzmann weights satisfy the familiar convolution property of two-dimensional Yang-Mills theory which implies that the theory is quasitopological, i.e. physical quantities depend only on the topology and the area of the surface. This enables to compute correlation functions in this model; they finally appear to be the \(q\)-analog of the correlation functions of ordinary two-dimensional Yang-Mills theory. The present work is divided in four sections: the first section of this work recalls standard properties of two-dimensional Yang-Mills theory. In the second section the authors derive and study the algebra of gauge fields using gauge covariance. The third section is devoted to the definition of Wilson loops and the study of their commutation properties. In the fourth section they define and study the analog of standard tools of quantum lattice gauge field theory, i.e. Boltzmann weights, Yang-Mills measure. They compute the correlation functions, i.e. partition functions on Riemann surfaces with punctures.