Effective field theory for dissipative photons from higher-form symmetries
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| author | Yoshimura, Genki Akamatsu, Yukinao Hirono, Yuji |
| author_facet | Yoshimura, Genki Akamatsu, Yukinao Hirono, Yuji |
| contents | Recent developments in generalized symmetries have provided new insights into quantum field theories. Within this framework, photons can be understood as Nambu-Goldstone modes associated with a spontaneously broken higher-form symmetry. In this work, we develop an effective field theory that builds on this symmetry structure to describe the real-time dynamics of photons in insulating media at finite temperature. Combining the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism with the generalized coset construction, we formulate a symmetry-based effective action that incorporates both conservative and dissipative effects. The effective theory implements the dynamical Kubo-Martin-Schwinger symmetry, ensuring consistency with the fluctuation-dissipation relation and Onsager's reciprocal relations. Within this framework, we derive the entropy current associated with dissipative photon dynamics and demonstrate the non-negativity of its divergence, in accordance with the second law of thermodynamics. We also clarify the symmetry origin of the gauge redundancy in the unbroken phase within the Schwinger-Keldysh framework, relating it to strong and weak realizations of higher-form symmetries. Our results provide a model-independent effective description of photon dynamics in insulating media at finite temperature. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_00605 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Effective field theory for dissipative photons from higher-form symmetries Yoshimura, Genki Akamatsu, Yukinao Hirono, Yuji High Energy Physics - Theory Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics Strongly Correlated Electrons High Energy Physics - Phenomenology Nuclear Theory Recent developments in generalized symmetries have provided new insights into quantum field theories. Within this framework, photons can be understood as Nambu-Goldstone modes associated with a spontaneously broken higher-form symmetry. In this work, we develop an effective field theory that builds on this symmetry structure to describe the real-time dynamics of photons in insulating media at finite temperature. Combining the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism with the generalized coset construction, we formulate a symmetry-based effective action that incorporates both conservative and dissipative effects. The effective theory implements the dynamical Kubo-Martin-Schwinger symmetry, ensuring consistency with the fluctuation-dissipation relation and Onsager's reciprocal relations. Within this framework, we derive the entropy current associated with dissipative photon dynamics and demonstrate the non-negativity of its divergence, in accordance with the second law of thermodynamics. We also clarify the symmetry origin of the gauge redundancy in the unbroken phase within the Schwinger-Keldysh framework, relating it to strong and weak realizations of higher-form symmetries. Our results provide a model-independent effective description of photon dynamics in insulating media at finite temperature. |
| title | Effective field theory for dissipative photons from higher-form symmetries |
| topic | High Energy Physics - Theory Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics Strongly Correlated Electrons High Energy Physics - Phenomenology Nuclear Theory |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.00605 |