SymTFT for (3+1)d Gapless SPTs and Obstructions to Confinement

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Antinucci, Andrea, Copetti, Christian, Schafer-Nameki, Sakura
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Antinucci, Andrea
Copetti, Christian
Schafer-Nameki, Sakura
author_facet Antinucci, Andrea
Copetti, Christian
Schafer-Nameki, Sakura
contents We study gapless phases in (3+1)d in the presence of 1-form and non-invertible duality symmetries. Using the Symmetry Topological Field Theory (SymTFT) approach, we classify the gapless symmetry-protected (gSPT) phases in these setups, with particular focus on intrinsically gSPTs (igSPTs). These are symmetry protected critical points which cannot be deformed to a trivially gapped phase without spontaneously breaking the symmetry. Although these are by now well-known in (1+1)d, we demonstrate their existence in (3+1)d gauge theories. Here, they have a clear physical interpretation in terms of an obstruction to confinement, even though the full 1-form symmetry does not suffer from 't Hooft anomalies. These igSPT phases provide a new way to realize 1-form symmetries in CFTs, that has no analog for gapped phases. The SymTFT approach allows for a direct generalization from invertible symmetries to non-invertible duality symmetries, for which we study gSPT and igSPT phases as well. We accompany these theoretical results with concrete physical examples realizing such phases and explain how obstruction to confinement is detected at the level of symmetric deformations.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2408_05585
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle SymTFT for (3+1)d Gapless SPTs and Obstructions to Confinement
Antinucci, Andrea
Copetti, Christian
Schafer-Nameki, Sakura
High Energy Physics - Theory
Strongly Correlated Electrons
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
We study gapless phases in (3+1)d in the presence of 1-form and non-invertible duality symmetries. Using the Symmetry Topological Field Theory (SymTFT) approach, we classify the gapless symmetry-protected (gSPT) phases in these setups, with particular focus on intrinsically gSPTs (igSPTs). These are symmetry protected critical points which cannot be deformed to a trivially gapped phase without spontaneously breaking the symmetry. Although these are by now well-known in (1+1)d, we demonstrate their existence in (3+1)d gauge theories. Here, they have a clear physical interpretation in terms of an obstruction to confinement, even though the full 1-form symmetry does not suffer from 't Hooft anomalies. These igSPT phases provide a new way to realize 1-form symmetries in CFTs, that has no analog for gapped phases. The SymTFT approach allows for a direct generalization from invertible symmetries to non-invertible duality symmetries, for which we study gSPT and igSPT phases as well. We accompany these theoretical results with concrete physical examples realizing such phases and explain how obstruction to confinement is detected at the level of symmetric deformations.
title SymTFT for (3+1)d Gapless SPTs and Obstructions to Confinement
topic High Energy Physics - Theory
Strongly Correlated Electrons
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.05585