Topological dualities in the Ising model (Q2103499)

The two-dimensional square-lattice Ising model is a mathematical model of magnetism in statistical mechanics. It is one of the simplest statistical models to show a phase transition. Kramers-Wannier duality is a transformation that relates the free energy of a two-dimensional square-lattice Ising model at a low temperature to that of another Ising model at a high temperature. Sourceless Maxwell equations for electromagnetism, in its 3-dimensional formulation, are invariant under the exchange (duality) of electric and magnetic field. The classical theory of electromagnetism is an abelian gauge theory with structure group \(U(1)\) but a formalism allowing for finite gauge groups was developed along the years and it has been shown that such 3-dimensional gauge theories with finite gauge groups also exhibit a similar duality. The main purpose of this paper is to relate these two kinds of dualities by using the fact that Ising models are boundary theories for pure gauge theory in one dimension higher. This is better summarized by the authors themselves: (authors summary): ``We relate two classical dualities in low-dimensional quantum field theory: Kramers-Wannier duality of the Ising and related lattice models in 2 dimensions, with electro- magnetic duality for finite gauge theories in 3 dimensions. The relation is mediated by the notion of boundary field theory: Ising models are boundary theories for pure gauge theory in one dimension higher. Thus the Ising order/disorder operators are endpoints of Wilson 't Hooft defects of gauge theory. Symmetry breaking on low- energy states reflects the multiplicity of topological boundary states. In the process we describe lattice theories as (extended) topological field theories with boundaries and domain walls. This allows us to generalize the duality to nonabelian groups; to finite, semisimple Hopf algebras; and, in a different direction, to finite homotopy theories in arbitrary dimension.'' In addition of offering new insights (the fact of seeing the Ising model as a boundary theory for a 3-dimensional pure gauge theory) allowing for a relation between the two types of dualities existing in the two kinds of models, the approach of the authors allows them to obtain several new results: a construction of the dual of the nonabelian Ising model, an abstract reformulation of the Ising model in terms of fully extended topological field theories (with some extra structure), a classification of gapped phases in Ising-like models, a generalizations of the Ising model to higher dimensions and to exotic homology theories, etc. The conceptual tools used by the authors belong to the formalism of quantum field theory, mostly topological quantum field theory (TQFT) and boundary field theory, but also to differential geometry (in particular the theory of classifying spaces) and category theory (in particular fusion categories). The article starts with a detailed summary followed by eight sections whose reading can be of independent interest (TQFT concepts, 3-dimensional finite gauge theories, effective field theories, lattice models, etc.), independently of the advocated purpose of the paper.