On Dijkgraaf-Witten-type invariants (Q1922508)

The Dijkgraaf-Witten (DW) topological invariant on 3-manifolds [\textit{R. Dijkgraaf} and \textit{E. Witten}, Commun. Math. Phys. 129, No. 2, 393-429 (1990; Zbl 0703.58011)], a discrete analogue of Chern-Simons theory based on a single \(Z_p\)-colour field on the links of the simplicial manifold, is generalized to the case of more than one simplicial colour field, with values in one, or also in different, finite cyclic groups \(Z_p\), and to higher dimensions, including (for odd dimension) the discrete analogues of higher-dimensional Chern-Simons theory. The construction employs a cup product on the simplicial colour fields, which on simplices evaluates a product in \(Z\). The statistical (Boltzmann) weight \(W\) on any simplicial complex is constructed as an orientation weighted product of the weights on its simplices. Subdivision invariance yields the analogues of the (DW) 5W identities and delicate restrictions on the scale factor of \(W\). Cf. also [\textit{D. Birmingham} and \textit{M. Rakowski}, ibid. 173, No. 1, 135-154 (1995; Zbl 0844.55009); Combinatorial invariants from four-dimensional lattice models, Internat. J. Modern Physics A 10, No. 9, 1329-1342 (1995)].