Athanasios Chatzistavrakidis, Georgios Karagiannis, Peter Schupp
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12 pages; contribution to the proceedings of the EISA Conference on Recent Developments in Strings and Gravity, 10-16 September 2019, Corfu; v2: references added
We review the construction of Lagrangians for higher spin fields of mixed symmetry in the framework of graded geometry. The main advantage of the graded formalism in this context is that it provides universal expressions, in the sense that a given Lagrangian describes the dynamics of any type of bosonic tensor field even though the corresponding explicit expressions in terms of local field components and their derivatives look rather different. Aside from free fields and their kinetic terms, we also consider higher derivative interaction terms that lead to second order field equations. For scalars, differential forms and bipartite tensors, these are identified with Galileon theories, written in a simple yet elegant form as a generalised kinetic term, and are gauge invariant by construction. For fields of spin higher than 2, we illustrate the candidate Galileon-like interactions and argue that full gauge invariance and locality cannot be simultaneously maintained.
We define the notion of the Ricci tensor for NQ symplectic manifolds of degree 2 and show that it corresponds to the standard generalized Ricci tensor on Courant algebroids. We use an appropriate notion of connections compatible with the generalized metric on the graded manifold.
In the context of F-theory, we study the related eight dimensional super-Yang-Mills theory and reveal the underlying supersymmetric quantum mechanics algebra that the fermionic fields localized on the corresponding defect theory are related to. Particularly, the localized fermionic fields constitute a graded vector space, and in turn this graded space enriches the geometric structures that can be built on the initial eight-dimensional space. We construct the implied composite fibre bundles, which include the graded affine vector space and demonstrate that the composite sections of this fibre b…
We show how the theory of $\mathbb{Z}_2^n$ -manifolds - which are a non-trivial generalisation of supermanifolds - may be useful in a geometrical approach to mixed symmetry tensors such as the dual graviton. The geometric aspects of such tensor fields on both flat and curved space-times are discussed.
We study some graded geometric constructions appearing naturally in the context of gauge theories. Inspired by a known relation of gauging with equivariant cohomology we generalize the latter notion to the case of arbitrary Q-manifolds introducing thus the concept of equivariant Q-cohomology. Using this concept we describe a procedure for analysis of gauge symmetries of given functionals as well as for constructing functionals (sigma models) invariant under an action of some gauge group. As the main example of application of these constructions we consider the twisted Poisson sigma model. We o…
We present a mathematical framework of gauge theories that is based upon a skew-adjoint Lie algebra and a generalized Dirac operator, both acting on a Hilbert space.
Forming the product of two geometric spaces is one of the most basic operations in geometry, but in the spectral-triple formulation of non-commutative geometry, the standard prescription for taking the product of two real spectral triples is problematic: among other drawbacks, it is non-commutative, non-associative, does not transform properly under unitaries, and often fails to define a proper spectral triple. In this paper, we explain that these various problems result from using the ungraded tensor product; by switching to the graded tensor product, we obtain a new prescription where all of…
Algebraic structures in which the property of commutativity is substituted by the mediality property are introduced. We consider (associative) graded algebras and instead of almost commutativity (generalized commutativity or $\varepsilon$-commutativity) we introduce almost mediality ("commutativity-to-mediality" ansatz). Higher graded twisted products and "deforming" brackets (being the medial analog of Lie brackets) are defined. Toyoda's theorem which connects (universal) medial algebras with abelian algebras is proven for the almost medial graded algebras introduced here. In a similar way we…
We perform the Batalin-Vilkovisky analysis of gauge-fixing for graded Chern-Simons theories. Upon constructing an appropriate gauge-fixing fermion, we implement a Landau-type constraint, finding a simple form of the gauge-fixed action. This allows us to extract the associated Feynman rules taking into account the role of ghosts and antighosts. Our gauge-fixing procedure allows for zero-modes, hence is not limited to the acyclic case. We also discuss the semiclassical approximation and the effective potential for massless modes, thereby justifying some of our previous constructions in the Batal…
The differential calculus based on the derivations of an associative algebra underlies most of the noncommutative field theories considered so far. We review the essential properties of this framework and the main features of noncommutative connections in the case of non graded associative unital algebras with involution. We extend this framework to the case of ${\mathbb{Z}}_2$-graded unital involutive algebras. We show, in the case of the Moyal algebra or some related ${\mathbb{Z}}_2$-graded version of it, that the derivation based differential calculus is a suitable framework to construct Ya…
The gauge theories underlying gauged supergravity and exceptional field theory are based on tensor hierarchies: generalizations of Yang-Mills theory utilizing algebraic structures that generalize Lie algebras and, as a consequence, require higher-form gauge fields. Recently, we proposed that the algebraic structure allowing for consistent tensor hierarchies is axiomatized by `infinity-enhanced Leibniz algebras' defined on graded vector spaces generalizing Leibniz algebras. It was subsequently shown that, upon appending additional vector spaces, this structure can be reinterpreted as a differen…
We present a general formalism to investigate the integrable properties of a large class of non-ultralocal models which in principle allows the construction of the corresponding lattice versions. Our main motivation comes from the su(1|1) subsector of the string theory on AdS_5 x S^5 in the uniform gauge, where such type of non-ultralocality appears in the resulting Alday-Arutyunov-Frolov (AAF) model. We first show how to account for the second derivative of the delta function in the Lax algebra of the AAF model by modifying Maillet's r- and s-matrices formalism, and derive a well-defined alge…
We show that rigid supersymmetry theories in four dimensions can be extended to give supersymmetric trace (or generalized quantum) dynamics theories, in which the supersymmetry algebra is represented by the generalized Poisson bracket of trace supercharges, constructed from fields that form a trace class noncommutative graded operator algebra. In particular, supersymmetry theories can be turned into supersymmetric matrix models this way. We demonstrate our results by detailed component field calculations for the Wess-Zumino and the supersymmetric Yang-Mills models (the latter with axial gauge …
Tensor models and tensor field theories admit a $1/N$ expansion and a melonic large $N$ limit which is simpler than the planar limit of random matrices and richer than the large $N$ limit of vector models. They provide examples of analytically tractable but non trivial strongly coupled quantum field theories and lead to a new class of conformal field theories. We present a compact introduction to the topic, covering both some of the classical results in the field, like the details of the $1/N$ expansion, as well as recent developments. These notes are loosely bases on four lectures given at th…
We study the $m$-graded quiver theories associated to CY $(m+2)$-folds and their order $(m+1)$ dualities. We investigate how monodromies give rise to mutation invariants, which in turn can be formulated as Diophantine equations characterizing the space of dual theories associated to a given geometry. We discuss these ideas in general and illustrate them in the case of orbifold theories. Interestingly, we observe that even in this simple context the corresponding Diophantine equations may admit an infinite number of seeds for $m\geq 2$, which translates into an infinite number of disconnected d…
The relation between discrete topological field theories on triangulations of two-dimensional manifolds and associative algebras was worked out recently. The starting point for this development was the graphical interpretation of the associativity as flip of triangles. We show that there is a more general relation between flip-moves with two $n$-gons and $Z_{n-2}$-graded associative algebras. A detailed examination shows that flip-invariant models on a lattice of $n$-gons can be constructed {}from $Z_{2}$- or $Z_{1}$-graded algebras, reducing in the second case to triangulations of the two-dim…
The open string sector of the topological B-model on CY $(m+2)$-folds is described by $m$-graded quivers with superpotentials. This correspondence generalizes the connection between CY $(m+2)$-folds and gauge theories on the worldvolume of D$(5-2m)$-branes for $m=0,\ldots,3$ to arbitrary $m$. In this paper we introduce the Calabi-Yau product, a new algorithm that starting from the known quiver theories for a pair of toric CY$_{m+2}$ and CY$_{n+2}$ produces the quiver theory for a related CY$_{m+n+3}$. This method significantly supersedes existing ones, enabling the simple determination of quiv…
We study a deformation of a $2$-graded Poisson algebra where the functions of the phase space variables are complemented by linear functions of parity odd velocities. The deformation is carried by a $2$-form $B$-field and a bivector $Π$, that we consider as gauge fields of the geometric and non-geometric fluxes $H$, $f$, $Q$ and $R$ arising in the context of string theory compactification. The technique used to deform the Poisson brackets is widely known for the point particle interacting with a $U(1)$ gauge field, but not in the case of non-abelian or higher spin fields. The construction is c…
Gauge theories can often be formulated in different but physically equivalent ways, a concept referred to as duality. Using a formalism based on graded geometry, we provide a unified treatment of all parent theories for different types of standard and exotic dualizations. Our approach is based on treating tensor fields as functions of a certain degree on graded supermanifolds equipped with a suitable number of odd coordinates. We present a universal two-parameter first order action for standard and exotic electric/magnetic dualizations and prove in full generality that it yields two dual secon…
Extending tensor models at the field theoretical level, tensor field theories are nonlocal quantum field theories with Feynman graphs identified with simplicial complexes. They become relevant for addressing quantum topology and geometry in any dimension and therefore form an interesting class of models for studying quantum gravity. We review the class of perturbatively renormalizable tensor field theories and some of their features.
We use superalgebras to realize the 3-algebras used to construct N=6, 8 Chern-Simons-matter (CSM) theories. We demonstrate that the superalgebra realization of the 3-algebras provides a unified framework for classifying the gauge groups of the N \geq 5 theories based on 3-algebras. Using this realization, we rederive the ordinary Lie algebra construction of the general N=6 CSM theory from its 3-algebra counterpart, and reproduce all known examples as well. In particular, we explicitly construct the Nambu 3-bracket in terms of a double graded commutator of PSU(2|2). The N = 8 theory of Bagger, …
Kontsevich's formality theorem states that the differential graded Lie algebra of multidifferential operators on a manifold M is L-infinity-quasi-isomorphic to its cohomology. The construction of the L-infinity map is given in terms of integrals of differential forms on configuration spaces of points in the upper half-plane. Here we consider configuration spaces of points in the disk and work equivariantly with respect to the rotation group. This leads to considering the differential graded Lie algebra of multivector fields endowed with a divergence operator. In the case of R^d with standard v…
In this first of two papers, we explain in detail the simplest example of a broader set of relations between apparently very different theories. Our example relates $\mathfrak{su}(2)$ $\mathcal{N}=4$ super Yang-Mills (SYM) to a theory we call "$(3,2)$." This latter theory is an exactly marginal diagonal $SU(2)$ gauging of three $D_3(SU(2))$ Argyres-Douglas (AD) theories. We begin by observing that the Schur indices of these two theories are related by an algebraic transformation that is surprisingly reminiscent of index transformations describing spontaneous symmetry breaking on the Higgs bran…
The Hamiltonian formulation of scalar-tensor theories of gravity is derived from their Lagrangian formulation by Hamiltonian analysis. The Hamiltonian formalism marks off two sectors of the theories by the coupling parameter $ω(ϕ)$. In the sector of $ω(ϕ)=-3/2$, the feasible theories are restricted and a new primary constraint generating conformal transformations of spacetime is obtained, while in the other sector of $ω(ϕ)\neq-3/2$, the canonical structure and constraint algebra of the theories are similar to those of general relativity coupled with a scalar field. By canonical transformations…
The equivalence between theories depending on the derivatives of $R$, i.e. $f\left( R,\nabla R,...,\nabla^{n}R\right) $, and scalar-multi-tensorial theories is verified. The analysis is done in both metric and Palatini formalisms. It is shown that $f\left( R,\nabla R,...,\nabla^{n}R\right) $ theories are equivalent to scalar-multi-tensorial ones resembling Brans-Dicke theories with kinetic terms $ω_{0}=0$ and $ω_{0}= - \frac{3}{2}$ for metric and Palatini formalisms respectively. This result is analogous to what happens for $f(R)$ theories. It is worthy emphasizing that the scalar-multi-tensor…
Invariant tensors play an important role in gauge theories, for example, in dualities of N=1 gauge theories. However, for theories with fields in representations larger than the fundamental, the full set of invariant tensors is often difficult to construct. We present a new approach to the construction of these tensors, and use it to find the complete set of invariant tensors of a theory of SO(3) with fields in the symmetric tensor representation.
The dimension of the Hilbert space of QFT scales exponentially with the volume of the space in which the theory lives, yet in supersymmetric theories, one can define a graded dimension (such as the supersymmetric index) that counts just the number of bosonic minus fermionic ground states. Can we make this observation useful in non-supersymmetric QFTs in four dimensions? In this work, we construct symmetry graded state sums for a variety of non-supersymmetric theories. Among the theories we consider is one that is remarkably close to QCD: Yang--Mills theory with $N_f = N_c$ fundamental Dirac fe…
In this paper, we use the exact renormalisation in the context of tensor models and tensorial group field theories. As a byproduct, we rederive Gaussian universality for random tensors and provide a general power counting for Abelian tensorial field theories with a closure constraint, leading us to a only five renormalizable theories.
Gauge theories with confining phases at low temperatures tend to deconfine at high temperatures. In some cases, for example in supersymmetric theories, confinement can persist for all temperatures provided the partition function includes a grading by $(-1)^F$. When it is possible to define partition functions which smoothly interpolate between no grading and $(-1)^F$ grading, it is natural to ask if there are other choices of grading that have the same effect as $(-1)^F$ on confinement. We explore how this works for $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM on $S^1\times S^3$ in the large $N$ limit at both small an…
We review the construction of Galileon interactions involving a single two-column mixed-symmetry tensor of arbitrary degree in flat spacetime of arbitrary dimensions, in a reverse engineering spirit. By defining an appropriate Riemann-like tensor for each of these tensor gauge fields, we show that the theories constructed in the spirit of Lovelock's theory of Gravity correspond to the well-known Galileon theories from the literature.
We present an efficient method for finding the independent invariant tensors of a gauge theory. Our method uses a theorem relating invariant tensors and D-flat directions in field space. We apply our method to several examples-- SO(3) with symmetric tensors, SU(2) with a dimension 4 representation, and SU(3) with matter in the sextet-- and find the set of independent invariant tensors in these theories.
We investigate the singularity structure of the $(-1)^F$ graded partition function in QCD with $n_f \geq 1$ massive adjoint fermions in the large-$N$ limit. Here, $F$ is fermion number and $N$ is the number of colors. The large $N$ partition function is made reliably calculable by taking space to be a small three-sphere $S^3$. Singularites in the graded partition function are related to phase transitions and to Hagedorn behavior in the $(-1)^F$-graded density of states. We study the flow of the singularities in the complex "inverse temperature" $β$ plane as a function of the quark mass. This a…
In this work we study spontaneous symmetry breaking patterns in tensor models. We focus on the patterns which lead to effective matrix theories transforming in the adjoint of $U(N)$. We find the explicit form of the Goldstone bosons which are organized as matrix multiplets in the effective theory. The choice of these symmetry breaking patterns is motivated by the fact that, in some contexts, matrix theories are dual to gravity theories. Based on this, we aim to build a bridge between tensor theories, quantum gravity and holography.
In free completely symmetric tensor gauge field theories on Minkowski space-time, all gauge invariant functions and Killing tensor fields are computed, both on-shell and off-shell. These problems are addressed in the metric-like formalisms.
I describe extended gradings of open topological field theories in two dimensions in terms of skew categories, proving a result which alows one to translate between the formalism of graded open 2d TFTs and equivariant cyclic categories. As an application of this formalism, I describe the open 2d TFT of graded D-branes in Landau-Ginzburg models in terms of an equivariant cyclic structure on the triangulated category of `graded matrix factorizations' introduced by Orlov. This leads to a specific conjecture for the Serre functor on the latter, which generalizes results known from the minimal and …
We analyze a theory known as extended DBI, which interpolates between DBI and the $U(N)\times U(N)/U(N)$ non-linear sigma model and represents a nontrivial example of theories with mixed power counting. We discuss symmetries of the action and their geometrical origin; the special case of SU(2) extended DBI theory is treated in great detail. The revealed symmetries lead to a new type of graded soft theorem that allows us to prove on-shell constructibility of the tree-level S-matrix. It turns out that the on-shell constructibility of the full extended DBI remains valid, even if its DBI sub-theor…
In this letter we uncover a new facet of chiral symmetry and the implications of its breaking in some theories. By generalizing the concept of chiral symmetry, tensor theories naturally arise. This novel approach adds to the known uses of tensor theories (quantum gravity, holography, entanglement,etc.) a possible link to QCD phenomena.
We study the properties of the energy-momentum tensor in non-commutative gauge theories by coupling them to a weak external gravitational field. In particular, we show that the stress tensor of such a theory coincides exactly with that derived from a theory where a Seiberg-Witten map has been implemented (namely, the procedure is commutative). Various other interesting features are also discussed.
The construction of field theories with space-time symmetries, including tensorial charges (i.e. of M-theory type), initiated in hep-th/9907011, is extended to include interaction. For SO(2,2) gravity in a tensorial space-time, with space-time symmetry consisting of Lorentz generators and "translations", represented by second-rank antisymmetric tensor, the cubic interaction terms are constructed by requirement of maintaining the gauge invariance property of theory. This interaction is essentially unique.
We reconsider the issue of whether scalar-tensor theories can admit stable wormhole configurations supported by a non-trivial radial profile for the scalar field. Using a recently proposed effective theory for perturbations around static, spherically symmetric backgrounds, we show that scalar-tensor theories of "beyond Horndeski" type can have wormhole solutions that are free of ghost and gradient instabilities. Such solutions are instead forbidden within the more restrictive "Horndeski" class of theories.
The evolution equations for tensor perturbations in a generic scalar tensor theory of gravity are presented. Exact solution are given for a specific class of theories and Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker backgrounds. In these cases it is shown that, although the evolution of tensor models depends on the choice of parameters of the theory, no amplification is possible if the gravitational interaction is attractive.
This is the first part in a series of papers in which we introduce and develop a natural, general tensor category theory for suitable module categories for a vertex (operator) algebra. This theory generalizes the tensor category theory for modules for a vertex operator algebra previously developed in a series of papers by the first two authors to suitable module categories for a "conformal vertex algebra" or even more generally, for a "Möbius vertex algebra." We do not require the module categories to be semisimple, and we accommodate modules with generalized weight spaces. As in the earlier s…
We study dynanics of $SU(N-4)$ gauge theories with fermions in rank-2 symmetric tensor and $N$ anti-fundamental representations, by perturbing supersymmetric theories with anomaly-mediated supersymmetry breaking. We find the $SU(N)\times U(1)$ global symmetry is dynamically broken to $SO(N)$ for $N\geq 17$, a different result from conjectures in the literature. For $N<17$, theories flow to infrared fixed points.
Tensor models are more-index generalizations of the so-called matrix models, and provide models of quantum gravity with the idea that spaces and general relativity are emergent phenomena. In this paper, a renormalization procedure for the tensor models whose dynamical variable is a totally symmetric real three-tensor is discussed. It is proven that configurations with certain Gaussian forms are the attractors of the three-tensor under the renormalization procedure. Since these Gaussian configurations are parameterized by a scalar and a symmetric two-tensor, it is argued that, in general situat…
We compute the boundary terms and junction conditions for Horndeski's panoptic class of scalar-tensor theories, and write the bulk and boundary equations of motion in explicitly second order form. We consider a number of special subclasses, including galileon theories, and present the corresponding formulae. Our analysis opens up of the possibility of studying tunnelling between vacua in generalized scalar-tensor theories, and braneworld dynamics. The latter follows because our results are independent of spacetime dimension.
The scalar-tensor theories of gravity in spacetime dimensions $D+1>2$ are studied. By doing Hamiltonian analysis, we obtain the geometrical dynamics of the theories from their Lagrangian. The Hamiltonian formalism indicates that the theories are naturally divided into two sectors by the coupling parameter $ω$. The Hamiltonian structure in both sectors are similar to the corresponding structure of 4-dimensional cases. It turns out that there is a symplectic reduction from the canonical structure of $so(D+1)$ Yang-Mills theories coupled to the scalar field to the canonical structure of the geome…
We discuss the dynamics of extended test bodies for a large class of scalar-tensor theories of gravitation. A covariant multipolar Mathisson-Papapetrou-Dixon type of approach is used to derive the equations of motion in a systematic way for both Jordan and Einstein formulations of these theories. The results obtained provide the framework to experimentally test scalar-tensor theories by means of extended test bodies.
We propose a novel tensor network representation for two-dimensional Yang-Mills theories with arbitrary compact gauge groups. In this method, tensor indices are directly given by group elements with no direct use of the character expansion. We apply the tensor renormalization group method to this tensor network for $SU(2)$ and $SU(3)$, and find that the free energy density and the energy density are accurately evaluated. We also show that the singular value decomposition of a tensor has a group theoretic structure and can be associated with the character expansion.
We investigate a systematic formulation of vector-tensor theories based on the effective field theory (EFT) approach. The input of our EFT is that the spacetime symmetry is spontaneously broken by the existence of a preferred timelike direction in accordance with the cosmological principle. After clarifying the difference of the symmetry breaking pattern from the conventional EFT of inflation/dark energy, we find an EFT description of vector-tensor theories around the cosmological background. This approach not only serves as a unified description of vector-tensor theories but also highlights u…
We present a method for parametrizing linear cosmological perturbations of theories of gravity, around homogeneous and isotropic backgrounds. The method is sufficiently general and systematic that it can be applied to theories with any degrees of freedom (DoFs) and arbitrary gauge symmetries. In this paper, we focus on scalar-tensor and vector-tensor theories, invariant under linear coordinate transformations. In the case of scalar-tensor theories, we use our framework to recover the simple parametrizations of linearized Horndeski and "Beyond Horndeski" theories, and also find higher-derivativ…
This contribution reviews scalar-tensor theories whose Lagrangian contains second-order derivatives of a scalar field but nevertheless propagate only one scalar mode (in addition to the usual two tensor modes), and are thus not plagued with the Ostrodradsky instability. These theories, which encompass the so-called Horndeski and Beyond Horndeski theories, have recently been fully classified up to cubic order in second-order derivatives. After introducing these theories, I present a few phenomenological aspects. In cosmology, these theories can be included in the unified effective description o…
Gauged gaussian Projected Entangled Pair States are particular tensor network constructions that describe lattice states of fermionic matter interacting with dynamical gauge fields. We show how one can efficiently compute, using Monte-Carlo techniques, expectation values of physical observables in that class of states. This opens up the possibility of using tensor network techniques to investigate lattice gauge theories in two and three spatial dimensions.
The Horndeski action is the most general one involving a metric and a scalar field that leads to second-order field equations in four dimensions. Being the natural extension of the well-known scalar-tensor theories, its structure and properties are worth analyzing along the experience accumulated in the latter context. Here, we argue that disformal transformations play, for the Horndeski theory, a similar role to that of conformal transformations for scalar-tensor theories a la Brans-Dicke.
This article reviews scalar-tensor theories characterized by a Lagrangian that, despite the presence of second order derivatives, contain a single scalar degree of freedom. These theories, known as Degenerate Higher-Order Scalar-Tensor (DHOST) theories, include Horndeski and Beyond Horndeski theories. They propagate a single scalar mode as a consequence of the degeneracy of their Lagrangian and, therefore, are not plagued by an Ostrodradsky instability. They have been fully classified up to cubic order in second-order derivatives. The study of their phenomenological consequences restricts the …
