Generalized particle statistics in two-dimensions: Examples from the theory of free massive Dirac field (Q883012)

One of the central claims in local quantum physics (also called algebraic quantum field theory) is that the physical content of a quantum field theory is completely determined in terms of the algebraic and geometric relations between its local observables. In this approach it is possible to prove results like the Spin and Statistics Theorem or show the existence of gauge fields purely on the basis of first principles [see, e.g., \textit{R.~Haag}, Local quantum physics. Fields, particles, algebras. 2nd., rev. and enlarged ed. Texts and Monographs in Physics. (Berlin): Springer-Verlag. (1996; Zbl 0857.46057)], and references therein). The principle of locality is crucial in this context. A stronger version of it, the so-called Haag-duality, is needed to \textit{prove} that, in four dimensional Minkowski spacetime, fields must obey a Bose-Fermi alternative. The paper under review analyzes the anomalous statistics in the context of two-dimensional free massive Dirac fields. In this situation one has to take into account the failure of Haag duality and the fact that the unitaries implementing the corresponding gauge automorphisms are not elements of the global field algebra. The author also applies the recent notion of asymptotic abelianness of intertwiners to his model in order to define a braiding for a suitable subcategory of the endomorphisms of the observable algebra. This article contains an informative introduction to rigorous results related to anomalous statistics of sectors in various situations.