Higher anomalies, higher symmetries, and cobordisms. I: Classification of higher-symmetry-protected opological states and their boundary fermionic/bosonic anomalies via a generalized cobordism theory (Q2008380)

The principal objective in this paper is to develop a generalized cobordism theory, exploring the higher global symmetries and higher anomalies of field theories and interactive fermionic/bosonic systems in condensed matter. From a mathematical viewpoint, the main tools are Thom-Madsen-Tillmann spectra, Adams spectral sequence and Freed-Hopkins theorem. The authors provide many examples of bordism groups with a generic \(H\)-structure manifold with a \((d+1)\)-th higher group \(\mathbb{G}\) and their \((d+1)d\) bordism invariants, systematically classifying anaomalies of \(dd\) spacetime dimensions. Suitable \(H\) such as \(SO/Spin/O/Pin^{\pm}\) allows the study on quantum vacua of general bosonic or fermionic systems with time-reversal or reflection symmetry. The cobordism theory developed here classifies and characterizes higher symmetry-protected topological states (SPTs), including higher-symmetric generalization of time-reversal invariant topological insulators/superconductors. Higher-SPT's anomalous boundary theories can be seen in strongly coupled non-abelian Yang-Mills theories and sigma models, complementary to physics in [\textit{J. Wang}, \textit{X.-G. Wen} and \textit{E. Witten}, ``A new SU(2) anomaly'', \url{arXiv:1810.00844}; \textit{Z. Wan} and \textit{J. Wang}, ``Adjoint \(QCD_4\), deconfined critical phenomena, symmetry-enriched topological quantum field theory, and higher symmetry-extension'', \url{arXiv:1812.11955}; \textit{Z. Wan}, \textit{J. Wang} and \textit{Y. Zheng}, ``New higher anomalies, SU(N) Yang-Mills gauge theory and \(\mathbb{CP}^{N-1}\) sigma model'', \url{arXiv:1812.11968}; \textit{Z. Wan}, \textit{J. Wang} and \textit{Y. Zheng}, ``Quantum 4d Yang-Mills theory and time-reversal symmetric 5d higher-gauge topological field theory'', \url{arXiv:1904.00994}]. Further detailed calculations will follow.