Homotopy algebras of differential (super)forms in three and four dimensions

DOI10.1007/S11005-018-1109-5MaRDI QIDQ1630341zbMATH OpenOpenAlexWikidataFDO

Authors M. Roček, Anton M. Zeitlin

Publication date 10 December 2018

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

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1702.03565

zbMATH Keywords

homotopical algebrasupergeometrysupersymmetric field theories

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Homotopical algebra, Quillen model categories, derivators (18N40) Supersymmetric field theories in quantum mechanics (81T60) String and superstring theories in gravitational theory (83E30)

Abstract: We consider various $A_{infty}$-algebras of differential (super)forms, which are related to gauge theories and demonstrate explicitly how certain reformulations of gauge theories lead to the transfer of the corresponding $A_{infty}$-structures. In $N=2$ 3D space we construct the homotopic counterpart of the de Rham complex, which is related to the superfield formulation of the $N=2$ Chern-Simons theory.

Review text

Homotopy associative algebras, which appeared in the 1960's in [\textit{J. D. Stasheff}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 108, 275--292, 293--312 (1963; Zbl 0114.39402)], are a natural generalization of a differential graded associative algebra. It was since the 1990's that people have found out such structures in string physics and geometry [\textit{M. R. Gaberdiel} and \textit{B. Zwiebach}, Nucl. Phys., B 505, No. 3, 569--624 (1997; Zbl 0911.53044); Phys. Lett., B 410, No. 2--4, 151--159 (1997; Zbl 0911.53046)], [\textit{M. Kontsevich} and \textit{Y. Soibelman}, in: Symplectic geometry and mirror symmetry. Proceedings of the 4th KIAS annual international conference, Seoul, South Korea, August 14--18, 2000. Singapore: World Scientific. 203--263 (2001; Zbl 1072.14046); \textit{Y. Soibelman}, J. Math. Phys. 45, No. 10, 3742--3757 (2004; Zbl 1071.32023); \textit{P. Bressler} and \textit{Y. Soibelman}, J. Math. Phys. 45, No. 10, 3972--3982 (2004; Zbl 1071.53053)]. The authors of this paper aim at investigating such algebraic entities related to the basic gauge (super) field theories on the lines of the second author's papers [J. High Energy Phys. 2010, No. 3, Paper No. 056, 32 p. (2010; Zbl 1271.81151); J. Phys. A, Math. Theor. 42, No. 35, Article ID 355401, 12 p. (2009; Zbl 1176.81107); Commun. Math. Phys. 303, No. 2, 331--359 (2011; Zbl 1287.81056)]. This paper, consisting of 4 sections, studies homotopy algebras related to superfield theories together with their transfers. In \S 2 the authors examine the \(N=2\) \(D=3\) Chern-Simons theory in the superfield formulation with recourse to the corresponding Batalin-Viklkovsisky action, constructing the superfield counterpart of the de Rham complex in three dimensions, which turns out to be a homotopy algebra in place of the usual differential graded algebra. \S 2 is a good introduction to the authors' ideas. \S 3 addresses the Yang-Mills theory in its usual second-order and first-order forms, describing the corresponding \(A_{\infty}\)-algebras and showing how they are related to the Batanin-Vilkovisky formalism, where the first-order formulation yields merely a differential graded algebra, while the second-order formulation reveals an \(A_{\infty}\)-algebra with all the operations from the quadrilinear one vanishing. The authors conclude \S 3 by showing that these two \(A_{\infty}\)-algebras are related by the transfer formula, which is one of the simplest natural example of the transfer formula. \S 4 is concerned with generalizations of these results to the supersymmetric case, using the superfield formulation of \(N=2\)\ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory and investigating the homotopical algebras in the second-order and first-order formulations. The authors' present work is well related to [\textit{O. Hohm} and \textit{B. Zwiebach}, Fortschr. Phys. 65, No. 3--4, 1700014, 33 p. (2017; Zbl 1371.81261)] and [\textit{M. Movshev} and \textit{A. Schwarz}, Prog. Math. 244, 473--523 (2006; Zbl 1229.81281)].

Recommendations

• \(A_\infty\)-algebra from supermanifolds
• Conformal field theory and algebraic structure of gauge theory
• Unimodular homotopy algebras and Chern-Simons theory
• On the L_ formulation of Chern-Simons theories
• Curved \(A_{\infty }\)-algebras and gauge theory

Cites work

• - systems and the deformations of the BRST operator
• Algebraic Structure of Yang-Mills Theory
• BATALIN–VILKOVISKY YANG–MILLS THEORY AS A HOMOTOPY CHERN–SIMONS THEORY VIA STRING FIELD THEORY
• Conformal field theory and algebraic structure of gauge theory
• Homotopy Associativity of H-Spaces. I
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 4042844 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1292046 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1757930 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1787195 (Why is no real title available?)
• NONCOMMUTATIVE HOMOTOPY ALGEBRAS ASSOCIATED WITH OPEN STRINGS
• On conformal, \(\text{SL}(4,\mathbb R)\) and \(\text{Sp}(8,\mathbb R)\) symmetries of massless fields
• On the construction of \(A_\infty\)-structures
• Quasiclassical Lian-Zuckerman homotopy algebras, Courant algebroids and gauge theory
• String field theory-inspired algebraic structures in gauge theories
• Superspace. One thousand and one lessons in supersymmetry. With a foreword by David Pines
• Tensor constructions of open string theories. I. Foundations
• Yang-Mills detour complexes and conformal geometry

Cited in

(11)

• Curved \(A_{\infty }\)-algebras and gauge theory
• Loop amplitudes and quantum homotopy algebras
• The \(L_{\infty}\)-algebra of the S-matrix
• Unimodular homotopy algebras and Chern-Simons theory
• BV equivalence with boundary
• Conformal field theory and algebraic structure of gauge theory
• Which homotopy algebras come from transfer?
• On deformations of $A_\infty$ -algebras
• ‐Algebras, the BV Formalism, and Classical Fields
• The teleparallel complex
• Ambitwistor Yang-Mills theory revisited

This page was built for publication: Homotopy algebras of differential (super)forms in three and four dimensions

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q1630341)