Notes for a quantum index theorem

DOI10.1007/S002200100492MaRDI QIDQ5953668zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Publication date 27 January 2002

Published in Communications in Mathematical Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/math/0003082

Abstract: We view DHR superselection sectors with finite statistics as Quantum Field Theory analogs of elliptic operators where KMS functionals play the role of the trace composed with the heat kernel regularization. We extend our local holomorphic dimension formula and prove an analogue of the index theorem in the Quantum Field Theory context. The analytic index is the Jones index, more precisely the minimal dimension, and, on a 4-dimensional spacetime, the DHR theorem gives the integrality of the index. We introduce the notion of holomorphic dimension; the geometric dimension is then defined as the part of the holomorphic dimension which is symmetric under charge conjugation. We apply the AHKT theory of chemical potential and we extend it to the low dimensional case, by using conformal field theory. Concerning Quantum Field Theory on curved spacetime, the geometry of the manifold enters in the expression for the dimension. If a quantum black hole is described by a spacetime with bifurcate Killing horizon and sectors are localizable on the horizon, the logarithm of the holomorphic dimension is proportional to the incremental free energy, due to the addition of the charge, and to the inverse temperature, hence to the surface gravity in the Hartle-Hawking KMS state. For this analysis we consider a conformal net obtained by restricting the field to the horizon (``holography). Compared with our previous work on Rindler spacetime, this result differs inasmuch as it concerns true black hole spacetimes, like the Schwarzschild-Kruskal manifold, and pertains to the entropy of the black hole itself, rather than of the outside system. An outlook concerns a possible relation with supersymmetry and noncommutative geometry.

Review text

The content of this paper is a natural outgrowth of the author's previous work on a local holomorphic formula for the dimension of a superselection sector and were motivated by the purpose to give a geometrical picture to aspects of local quantum physics related to superselection structure. The author considers the case of Relativistic Statistical Mechanics by which one means the consideration of KMS functional for the time evolution in Quantum Field Theory (QFT). The basic relativistic property, locality or finite propagation of speed of light, select the appropriate class of cocycles and will imply the integrality of the index. Further, the super symmetric structure does not play a role in the formulae for the dimension. The frame work of QFT and its superselection structure is that of Dophicher-Haag-Roberts. The first section is devoted to the study of holomorphic cocycles and give first formulae for the dimension and ends with a table of dimensions. The next section examines certain aspects of the chemical potential for thermal states in QFT and is based on the basic results as the description of the chemical potential in terms of extension of KMS states. The analysis show a splitting of the incremental free energy in an absolute part and a part asymmetric with respect to charge conjugation. The third section is devoted to the chemical structure in the low dimensional case. The next three sections are on Roberts and Connes-Takesaki cohomologies, increment of black hole entropy as an index and the index of the supercharge operator. The last section is a tentative proposal to analyze the superselection sector by noncommutative geometry. The paper is supplemented with an exhaustive bibliography on the topic.

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