One-Form Symmetries and Confinement
Joey Faller (University of Queensland)
Abstract: Global symmetries, traditionally understood to act on local operators, are a cornerstone of QFT. This talk provides a pedagogical introduction to their generalisation: higher-form symmetries; these act on non-local, extended operators like Wilson lines. We will begin by showing how the concept of a conserved charge can be extended from 0-form to 1-form symmetries and demonstrate that this framework is consistent with Noether's theorem.
In a gauge theory, two principal types of 1-form symmetries can emerge: a 'magnetic' symmetry of topological origin from the Bianchi identity ($dF=0$), and an 'electric' symmetry arising from the dynamical equations of motion. It is this electric 1-form symmetry that provides a novel method to analyse confinement. The primary application of this framework is to show how the status of this 1-form symmetry, whether it is spontaneously broken or preserved, precisely determines whether confinement is present or not.
condensed mattergeneral relativity and quantum cosmologyHEP - theorymathematical physicsdifferential geometry
Audience: advanced learners
( slides )
Europe and Pacific Theoretical Physics
Series comments: European and Pacific Theoretical Physics is a group that runs online seminars and talks across broad topics in mathematical and theoretical physics. Our goal is to share concepts across continents to bring about a deeper understanding of cutting-edge topics in physics.
Our current focus is on Generalised (Categorical) Symmetries. We will follow the lectures notes found here: arxiv.org/pdf/2411.09082 . The talks are informal, and anyone can participate, so please reach out if you would like to present one week!
The reading course seminars are scheduled to resume January. If you would like to present material, please reach out. Extended notes & presentation material are uploaded to "Past talks". Please click on the title of a talk, and then click on "paper" or "slides" to see more.
Zoom link: unibe-ch.zoom.us/j/6801537904
Talks may be uploaded to YouTube: www.youtube.com/@eupactp
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| Organizers: | Jesse Woods*, Jonathan Skelton*, Adèle Le Borgne, Joey Faller |
| *contact for this listing |