Exploring 2-group global symmetries

DOI10.1007/JHEP02(2019)184zbMATH Open1411.83116arXiv1802.04790OpenAlexW2785656069MaRDI QIDQ1735657FDOQ1735657

Authors: Clay Córdova, Thomas T. Dumitrescu, Kenneth Intriligator 

Publication date: 28 March 2019

Published in: Journal of High Energy Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: We analyze four-dimensional quantum field theories with continuous 2-group global symmetries. At the level of their charges such symmetries are identical to a product of continuous flavor or spacetime symmetries with a 1-form global symmetry $U(1{)}_B^{(1)}$, which arises from a conserved 2-form current $J_B^{(2)}$. Rather, 2-group symmetries are characterized by deformed current algebras, with quantized structure constants, which allow two flavor currents or stress tensors to fuse into $J_B^{(2)}$. This leads to unconventional Ward identities, which constrain the allowed patterns of spontaneous 2-group symmetry breaking and other aspects of the renormalization group flow. If $J_B^{(2)}$ is coupled to a 2-form background gauge field $B^{(2)}$, the 2-group current algebra modifies the behavior of $B^{(2)}$ under background gauge transformations. Its transformation rule takes the same form as in the Green-Schwarz mechanism, but only involves the background gauge or gravity fields that couple to the other 2-group currents. This makes it possible to partially cancel reducible 't Hooft anomalies using Green-Schwarz counterterms for the 2-group background gauge fields. The parts that cannot be cancelled are reinterpreted as mixed, global anomalies involving $U(1{)}_B^{(1)}$ and receive contributions from topological, as well as massless, degrees of freedom. Theories with 2-group symmetry are constructed by gauging an abelian flavor symmetry with suitable mixed 't Hooft anomalies, which leads to many simple and explicit examples. Some of them have dynamical string excitations that carry $U(1{)}_B^{(1)}$ charge, and 2-group symmetry determines certain 't Hooft anomalies on the world sheets of these strings. Finally, we point out that holographic theories with 2-group global symmetries have a bulk description in terms of dynamical gauge fields that participate in a conventional Green-Schwarz mechanism.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1802.04790

Recommendations

• On 2-group global symmetries and their anomalies
• Latent symmetry and its group theoretical determination
• Two-parameter families of quantum symmetry groups
• Gauging hidden symmetries in two dimensions
• Duality and global symmetries
• Symmetry and group theory and its application to few-body physics
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 41090
• Generalized global symmetries
• Symmetry groups

zbMATH Keywords

anomalies in field and string theoriesglobal symmetries

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Anomalies in quantum field theory (81T50) String and superstring theories in gravitational theory (83E30)

Cites Work

• Anti de Sitter space and holography
• Generalized global symmetries
• The large-\(N\) limit of superconformal field theories and supergravity
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• String Theory
• Gauge theory correlators from non-critical string theory
• All unitary ray representations of the conformal group SU(2,2) with positive energy
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• The structure of gauge and gravitational anomalies
• Restrictions imposed by superconformal invariance on quantum field theories
• On mirror symmetry in three-dimensional abelian gauge theories
• Comments on Chern-Simons contact terms in three dimensions
• Contact terms, unitarity, and F -maximization in three-dimensional superconformal theories
• Small instantons in string theory
• New \(N = 2\) superconformal field theories in four dimensions
• Modifying the sum over topological sectors and constraints on supergravity
• Supercurrents and brane currents in diverse dimensions
• Higher gauge theory
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Fusion categories and homotopy theory
• Topological gauge theories and group cohomology
• Lectures on quantum mechanics
• Fermionic SPT phases in higher dimensions and bosonization
• Connections on non-abelian gerbes and their holonomy
• On finite symmetries and their gauging in two dimensions
• Symmetries in quantum field theory and quantum gravity
• Anomalies, renormalization group flows, and the \(a\)-theorem in six-dimensional \((1, 0)\) theories
• A duality web in \(2+1\) dimensions and condensed matter physics
• Deformations of superconformal theories
• Universality of anomalous conductivities in theories with higher-derivative holographic duals
• Anomaly polynomial of general 6D SCFTs
• State sum constructions of spin-TFTs and string net constructions of fermionic phases of matter
• Higher derivative terms, toroidal compactification, and Weyl anomalies in six-dimensional \((2, 0)\) theories
• 8d gauge anomalies and the topological Green-Schwarz mechanism
• Spheres, charges, instantons, and bootstrap: a five-dimensional odyssey
• Topological field theory on a lattice, discrete theta-angles and confinement
• On 2-group global symmetries and their anomalies
• Notes on generalized global symmetries in QFT
• Higher symmetry and gapped phases of gauge theories
• 2-group global symmetries and anomalies in six-dimensional quantum field theories

Cited In (only showing first 100 items - show all)

• Higher-form symmetries and 3-group in axion electrodynamics
• Topological axion electrodynamics and 4-group symmetry
• 't Hooft anomalies and the holomorphy of supersymmetric partition functions
• On the cobordism classification of symmetry protected topological phases
• Higher-group symmetries and weak gravity conjecture mixing
• On 2-group global symmetries and their anomalies
• Higher form symmetries and M-theory
• Note on generalized symmetries, gapless excitations, generalized symmetry protected topological states, and anomaly
• Orbifolds by 2-groups and decomposition
• On triality defects in 2d CFT
• The \(\mathbb{Z}_2\) anomaly in some chiral gauge theories
• 2-group global symmetries and anomalies in six-dimensional quantum field theories
• Categorical symmetries at criticality
• Global 3-group symmetry and 't Hooft anomalies in axion electrodynamics
• Topological terms and anomaly matching in effective field theories on \(\mathbb{R}^3 \times \mathbb{S}^1\). I: Abelian symmetries and intermediate scales
• Semi-abelian gauge theories, non-invertible symmetries, and string tensions beyond \(N\)-ality
• Surface defects in holographic 5d SCFTs
• Toric 2-group anomalies via cobordism
• Modified instanton sum in QCD and higher-groups
• Non-invertible global symmetries and completeness of the spectrum
• Revisiting relativistic magnetohydrodynamics from quantum electrodynamics
• Generalized global symmetries
• \(\mathcal{N} = (1, 0)\) anomaly multiplet relations in six dimensions
• Field theories with higher-group symmetry from composite currents
• Generalized global symmetries of \(T[M]\) theories. I.
• Excitations in strict 2-group higher gauge models of topological phases
• Supersymmetry anomalies in new minimal supergravity
• Generalized symmetry breaking scales and weak gravity conjectures
• Notes on generalized global symmetries in QFT
• Non-invertible symmetries of class S theories
• Kac-Moody symmetry in the light front of gauge theories
• Symmetry-enriched quantum spin liquids in \((3 + 1)d\)
• Higher form symmetries TFT in 6d
• On the 6d origin of non-invertible symmetries in 4d
• Non-invertible condensation, duality, and triality defects in 3+1 dimensions
• 1-form symmetry versus large \(N\) QCD
• Topological dualities in the Ising model
• Higher Flavor Symmetries in the Standard Model
• Elliptic blowup equations for 6d SCFTs. IV: Matters
• Anomalies of QFTs from M-theory and holography
• Dynamics from symmetries in chiral \(\mathrm{SU}(N)\) gauge theories
• Super-spin chains for 6D SCFTs
• On 2-form gauge models of topological phases
• BCF anomaly and higher-group structure in the low energy effective theories of mesons
• On continuous 2-category symmetries and Yang-Mills theory
• Koszul duality in quantum field theory
• Chern-Weil global symmetries and how quantum gravity avoids them
• Brane current algebras and generalised geometry from QP manifolds. Or, ``when they go high, we go low
• Gauged 2-form symmetries in 6D SCFTs coupled to gravity
• Axions, higher-groups, and emergent symmetry
• Discrete integrable systems, supersymmetric quantum mechanics, and framed BPS states
• Surface operators in superspace
• Symmetries in quantum field theory and quantum gravity
• Symmetries and anomalies of \((1+1)d\) theories: 2-groups and symmetry fractionalization
• 2-group symmetries of 6D little string theories and T-duality
• Gauging 1-form center symmetries in simple SU(N) gauge theories
• A non-perturbative mixed anomaly and fractional hydrodynamic transport
• Coupling a cosmic string to a TQFT
• When the moduli space is an orbifold: spontaneous breaking of continuous non-invertible symmetries
• Non-invertible higher-categorical symmetries
• Non-invertible defects in 5D, boundaries and holography
• 3d \(\mathcal{N} = 4\) mirror symmetry with 1-form symmetry
• Anomalies and symmetry fractionalization
• Subsystem non-invertible symmetry operators and defects
• Global structures from the infrared
• Generalized chiral instabilities, linking numbers, and non-invertible symmetries
• Non-invertible duality interfaces in field theories with exotic symmetries
• Gravity as a gapless phase and biform symmetries
• Notes on anomalies, elliptic curves and the BS-D conjecture
• 2-group global symmetries, hydrodynamics and holography
• Symmetries and topological operators, on average
• Topological defect lines in two dimensional fermionic CFTs
• Study of gapped phases of 4d gauge theories using temporal gauging of the \(\mathbb{Z}_N\) 1-form symmetry
• Non-invertible symmetries from discrete gauging and completeness of the spectrum
• Symmetry TFTs from string theory
• Bordism for the 2-group symmetries of the heterotic and CHL strings
• Higher-group symmetry in finite gauge theory and stabilizer codes
• Higher categorical symmetries and gauging in two-dimensional spin systems
• Topological aspects of brane fields: solitons and higher-form symmetries
• A symmetry principle for gauge theories with fractons
• Anomalies of generalized symmetries from solitonic defects
• Candidate phases for SU(2) adjoint \(\mathrm{QCD}_4\) with two flavors from \(\mathcal{N} = 2\) supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory
• Higher-group symmetry of (3+1)D fermionic \(\mathbb{Z}_2\) gauge theory: logical CCZ, CS, and T gates from higher symmetry
• Symmetries and anomalies of Kitaev spin-\(S\) models: identifying symmetry-enforced exotic quantum matter
• Fusion surface models: 2+1d lattice models from fusion 2-categories
• Non-invertible symmetries and higher representation theory. I
• Generalized symmetry in dynamical gravity
• Non-invertible Gauss law and axions
• Disconnected 0-form and 2-group symmetries
• 6D heterotic little string theories and F-theory geometry: an introduction
• Dimensionally reducing generalized symmetries from (3+1)-dimensions
• Remarks on geometric engineering, symmetry TFTs and anomalies
• Spontaneously broken \((-1)\)-form U(1) symmetries
• \(\mathbb{Z}_N\) duality and parafermions revisited
• SymTFTs and duality defects from 6d SCFTs on 4-manifolds
• Coulomb branch surgery: holonomy saddles, S-folds and discrete symmetry gaugings
• Emergent generalized symmetries in ordered phases and applications to quantum disordering
• Fermion-monopole scattering in the standard model
• Higher-group global symmetry and the bosonic M5 brane
• T-duality and flavor symmetries in little string theories

This page was built for publication: Exploring 2-group global symmetries

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q1735657)