Some aspects of integrable field theories possessing purely transmitting defects are described. The main example is the sine-Gordon model and several striking features of a classical field theory containing one or more defects are pointed out. Similar features appearing in the associated quantum field theory are also reviewed briefly.
We define an infinite class of integrable theories with a defect which are formulated as chiral defect perturbations of a conformal field theory. Such theories can be interacting in the bulk, and are purely transmitting through the defect. The examples of the sine-Gordon theory and Ising model are worked out in some detail.
Affine Toda field theories with a purely transmitting integrable defect are considered and the model based on a_2 is analysed in detail. After providing a complete characterization of the problem in a classical framework, a suitable quantum transmission matrix, able to describe the interaction between an integrable defect and solitons, is found. Two independent paths are taken to reach the result. One is an investigation of the triangle equations using the S-matrix for the imaginary coupling bulk affine Toda field theories proposed by Hollowood, and the other uses a functional integral approac…
Integrable defects in two-dimensional integrable models are purely transmitting thus topological. By fusing them to integrable boundaries new integrable boundary conditions can be generated, and, from the comparison of the two solved boundary theories, explicit solutions of defect models can be extracted. This idea is used to determine the transmission factors and defect energies of topological defects in sinh-Gordon and Lee-Yang models. The transmission factors are checked in Lagrangian perturbation theory in the sinh-Gordon case, while the defect energies are checked against defect thermodyn…
The purpose of this article is to explore the properties of integrable, purely transmitting, defects placed at the junctions of several one-dimensional domains within a network. The defect sewing conditions turn out to be quite restrictive - for example, requiring the number of domains meeting at a junction to be even - and there is a clear distinction between the behaviour of conformal and massive integrable models. The ideas are mainly developed within classical field theory and illustrated using a variety of field theory models defined on the branches of the network, including both linear a…
In this paper and a companion one, we study the effect of integrable line defects on entanglement entropy in massive integrable field theories in 1+1 dimensions. The current paper focuses on topological defects that are purely transmissive. Using the form factor bootstrap method, we show that topological defects do not affect the the entanglement entropy in the UV limit and modify slightly the leading exponential correction in the IR. This conclusion holds for both unitary and non-unitary field theories. In contrast, non-topological defects affect the entanglement entropy more significantly bo…
This is the second part of two papers where we study the effect of integrable line defects on bipartite entanglement entropy in integrable field theories. In this paper, we consider non-topological line defects in Ising field theory. We derive an infinite series expression for the entanglement entropy and show that both the UV and IR limits of the bulk entanglement entropy are modified by the line defect. In the UV limit, we give an infinite series expression for the coefficient in front of the logarithmic divergence and the exact defect $g$-function. By tuning the defect to be purely transmis…
The bootstrap equations for the ADE series of purely elastic scattering theories have turned out to be intimately connected with the geometry of root systems and the Coxeter element. An informal review of some of this material is given, mentioning also a couple of other contexts -- the Pasquier models, and the simply-laced affine Toda field theories -- where similar structures are encountered. The relevance of twisted Coxeter elements is indicated, and a construction of these elements inspired by the twisted foldings of the affine Toda models is described.
An analysis is given of the structure of a general two-dimensional Toda field theory involving bosons and fermions which is defined in terms of a set of simple roots for a Lie superalgebra. It is shown that a simple root system for a superalgebra has two natural bosonic root systems associated with it which can be found very simply using Dynkin diagrams; the construction is closely related to the question of how to recover the signs of the entries of a Cartan matrix for a superalgebra from its Dynkin diagram. The significance for Toda theories is that the bosonic root systems correspond to the…
We consider the non-unitary Lee-Yang minimal model ${\cal M}(2,5)$ in three different finite geometries: (i) on the interval with integrable boundary conditions labelled by the Kac labels $(r,s)=(1,1),(1,2)$, (ii) on the circle with periodic boundary conditions and (iii) on the periodic circle including an integrable purely transmitting defect. We apply $φ_{1,3}$ integrable perturbations on the boundary and on the defect and describe the flow of the spectrum. Adding a $Φ_{1,3}$ integrable perturbation to move off-criticality in the bulk, we determine the finite size spectrum of the massive sca…
In cohomological field theory we can obtain topological invariants as correlation functions of BRS cohomology classes. A proper understanding of BRS cohomology which gives non-trivial results requires the equivariant cohomology theory. Both topological Yang-Mills theory and topological string theory are typical examples of this fact. After reviewing the role of the equivariant cohomology in topological Yang-Mills theory, we show in purely algebraic framework how the $U(1)$ equivariant cohomology in topological string theory gives the gravitational descendants. The free energy gives a generatin…
The classical sine-Gordon model is a two-dimensional integrable field theory, with particle like solutions the so-called solitons. Using its integrability one can define its quantum version without the process of canonical quantization. This bootstrap method uses the fundamental propterties of the model and its quantum features in order to restrict the structure of the scattering matrix as far as possible. The classical model can be extended with integrable discontinuities, purely transmitting jump-defects. Then the quantum version of the extended model can be determined via the bootstrap meth…
The aim of this paper is to investigate the non-relativistic limit of integrable quantum field theories with fermionic fields, such as the O(N) Gross-Neveu model, the supersymmetric Sinh-Gordon and non-linear sigma models. The non-relativistic limit of these theories is implemented by a double scaling limit which consists of sending the speed of light c to infinity and rescaling at the same time the relevant coupling constant of the model in such a way to have finite energy excitations. For the general purpose of mapping the space of continuous non-relativistic integrable models, this paper co…
In this paper we describe how relativistic field theories containing defects are equivalent to a class of boundary field theories. As a consequence previously derived results for boundaries can be directly applied to defects, these results include reduction formulas, the Coleman-Thun mechanism and Cutcosky rules. For integrable theories the defect crossing unitarity equation can be derived and defect operator found. For a generic purely transmitting impurity we use the boundary bootstrap method to obtain solutions of the defect Yang-Baxter equation. The groundstate energy on the strip with def…
We consider the insertion of integrable boundaries for a class of supersymmetric quantum models. The generic conditions for constructing purely bosonic, purely fermionic or mixed type solutions of the graded reflection equation are extracted. Focusing on models associated with gl(m|n) or Uq(gl(m|n)) symmetry, we first consider purely bosonic reflection matrices with special structures, for general values of m, n. These solutions provide the bosonic parts to construct fuller reflection matrices, containing fermionic degrees of freedom as well.
Energy and momentum conservation in the context of a type II, purely transmitting, defect, within a single scalar relativistic two-dimensional field theory, places a severe constraint not only on the nature of the defect but also on the potentials for the scalar fields to either side of it. The constraint is of an unfamiliar type since it requires the Poisson Bracket of the defect contributions to energy and momentum with respect to the defect discontinuity and its conjugate to be balanced by the potential difference across the defect. It is shown that the only solutions to the constraint corr…
Exact equations are proposed to describe g-function flows in integrable boundary quantum field theories which interpolate between different conformal field theories in their ultraviolet and infrared limits, extending previous work where purely massive flows were treated. The approach is illustrated with flows between the tricritical and critical Ising models, but the method is not restricted to these cases and should be of use in unravelling general patterns of integrable boundary flows between pairs of conformal field theories.
We argue that rational conformally invariant quantum field theories in two dimensions are closely related to torsion elements of the algebraic K-theory group K_3(C). If such a theory has an integrable matrix perturbation with purely elastic scattering matrix, then the partition function has a canonical sum representation. Its asymptotic behaviour is given in terms of the solution of an algebraic equation which can be read off from the scattering matrix. The solutions yield torsion elements of an extension of the Bloch group which seems to be equal to K_3(C). These algebraic equations are solve…
We present a superconformally invariant and integrable model based on the twisted affine Kac-Moody superalgebra $\hat{osp(2|2)}^{(2)}$ which is the supersymmetrization of the purely bosonic conformal affine Liouville theory recently proposed by Babelon and Bonora. Our model reduces to the super-Liouville or to the super sinh-Gordon theories under certain limit conditions and can be obtained, via hamiltonian reduction, from a superspace WZNW model with values in the corresponding affine KM supergroup. The reconstruction formulae for classical solutions are given. The classical $r$-matrices in t…
Recent work on purely transmitting 'jump-defects' in the sine-Gordon model and other relativistic field theories is extended to non-relativistic models. In all the cases investigated the defect conditions are provided by 'frozen' Backlund transformations and it is also shown via a Lax pair argument how integrability will be preserved in the presence of this type of defect. Explicit examples of the scattering of solitons by defects are given, and bound states associated with 'jump-defects' in the nonlinear Schrodinger model are described. Although the nonlinear Schrodinger model provides the pr…
Classical quasi-integrable systems are known to have Lyapunov times much shorter than their ergodicity time, but the situation for their quantum counterparts is less well understood. As a first example, we examine the quantum Lyapunov exponent -- defined by the evolution of the 4-point out-of-time-order correlator (OTOC) -- of integrable systems which are weakly perturbed by an external noise, a setting that has proven to be illuminating in the classical case. In analogy to the tangent space in classical systems, we derive a linear superoperator equation which dictates the OTOC dynamics. We fi…
The classical sine-Gordon model permits integrable discontinuities, or jump-defects, where the conditions relating the fields on either side of a defect are Backlund transformations frozen at the defect location. The purpose of this article is to explore the extent to which this idea may be extended to the quantum sine-Gordon model and how the striking features of the classical model may translate to the quantum version. Assuming a positive defect parameter there are two types of defect. One type, carrying even charge, is stable, but the other type, carrying odd charge, is unstable and may be …
The g-function was introduced by Affleck and Ludwig in the context of critical quantum systems with boundaries. In the framework of the thermodynamic Bethe ansatz (TBA) method for relativistic scattering theories, all attempts to write an exact integral equation for the off-critical version of this quantity have, up to now, been unsuccesful. We tackle this problem by using an n-particle cluster expansion, close in spirit to form-factor calculations of correlators on the plane. The leading contribution already disagrees with all previous proposals, but a study of this and subsequent terms allow…
In the following paper, which is based on the authors PhD thesis submitted to Imperial College London, we explore the applicability of Yangian symmetry to various integrable models, in particular, in relation with S-matrices. One of the main themes in this work is that, after a careful study of the mathematics of the symmetry algebras one finds that in an integrable model, one can directly reconstruct S-matrices just from the algebra. It has been known for a long time that S-matrices in integrable models are fixed by symmetry. However, Lie algebra symmetry, the Yang-Baxter equation, crossing a…
One of the simplest examples of a PT-symmetric quantum system is the scaling Yang-Lee model, a quantum field theory with cubic interaction and purely imaginary coupling. We give a historical review of some facts about this model in d <= 2 dimensions, from its original definition in connection with phase transitions in the Ising model and its relevance to polymer physics, to the role it has played in studies of integrable quantum field theory and of PT-symmetric quantum mechanics. We also discuss some more general results on PT-symmetric quantum mechanics and the ODE/IM correspondence, and ment…
Classical quasi-integrable systems are known to have Lyapunov times much shorter than their ergodicity time -- the most clear example being the Solar System -- but the situation for their quantum counterparts is less well understood. As a first example, we examine the quantum Lyapunov exponent, defined by the evolution of the 4-point out-of-time-order correlator (OTOC), of integrable systems which are weakly perturbed by an external noise, a setting that has proven to be illuminating in the classical case. In analogy to the tangent space in classical systems, we derive a linear superoperator e…
Using the theory of generalized hydrodynamics (GHD), we derive exact Euler-scale dynamical two-point correlation functions of conserved densities and currents in inhomogeneous, non-stationary states of many-body integrable systems with weak space-time variations. This extends previous works to inhomogeneous and non-stationary situations. Using GHD projection operators, we further derive formulae for Euler-scale two-point functions of arbitrary local fields, purely from the data of their homogeneous one-point functions. These are new also in homogeneous generalized Gibbs ensembles. The techniqu…
Generalizations of the q-Onsager algebra are introduced and studied. In one of the simplest case and q=1, the algebra reduces to the one proposed by Uglov-Ivanov. In the general case and $q\neq 1$, an explicit algebra homomorphism associated with coideal subalgebras of quantum affine Lie algebras (simply and non-simply laced) is exhibited. Boundary (soliton non-preserving) integrable quantum Toda field theories are then considered in light of these results. For the first time, all defining relations for the underlying non-Abelian symmetry algebra are explicitely obtained. As a consequence, bas…
We present a simple but explicit example of a recent development which connects quantum integrable models with Schubert calculus: there is a purely geometric construction of solutions to the Yang-Baxter equation and their associated Yang-Baxter algebras which play a central role in quantum integrable systems and exactly solvable lattice models in statistical physics. We consider the degenerate five-vertex limit of the asymmetric six-vertex model and identify its associated Yang-Baxter algebra as convolution algebra arising from the equivariant Schubert calculus of Grassmannians. We show how ou…
We consider a model of quantum-wire junctions where the latter are described by conformal-invariant boundary conditions of the simplest type in the multicomponent compactified massless scalar free field theory representing the bosonized Luttinger liquids in the bulk of wires. The boundary conditions result in the scattering of charges across the junction with nontrivial reflection and transmission amplitudes. The equilibrium state of such a system, corresponding to inverse temperature $β$ and electric potential $V$, is explicitly constructed both for finite and for semi-infinite wires. In the …