Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Fukuda, Masaki, Shu, Tommy, Yokokura, Ryo
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.12648
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Table of Contents:
  • In this paper, we investigate the higher-group symmetry structure of a five-dimensional topological theory, which is described by a 3-crossed module. The model is obtained by a five-dimensional extension of topological axion electrodynamics in four dimensions. To study the symmetry structure, we couple background gauge fields to the symmetry currents via Stueckelberg couplings. We show that background gauge invariance requires modified gauge transformation laws, indicating the existence of a higher-group structure. Furthermore, we identify the underlying mathematical structure as a 3-crossed module by regarding the modified Stueckelberg couplings as curvatures of a higher-group gauge theory. We demonstrate that the gauge transformation laws derived from this algebraic structure are consistent with the analysis based on the gauge invariance. While our previous work introduced the concept of a 3-crossed module motivated by higher-group symmetries, this work provides concrete verification that this framework correctly captures the symmetry structure of physical theories.