Obstructions to Gapped Boundaries in (2+1)d TQFT

Abstract: Not all 2+1-dimensional TQFTs admit topological boundary conditions. A familiar necessary, but not sufficient, condition for the existence of a topological boundary is the vanishing of the chiral central charge (mod 8). In this talk I will discuss generalizations of the chiral central charge known as ``higher” central charges. These quantities can be used to give necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of topological boundary conditions for Abelian TQFTs, providing a highly-computable alternative to conditions known previously in the literature.

HEP - theorymathematical physics

Audience: researchers in the topic

QFT and Geometry

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