We study the effect of bulk perturbations of N=(2,2) superconformal minimal models on topological defects. In particular, symmetries and more general topological defects which survive the flow to the IR are identified. Our method is to consider the topological subsector and make use of the Landau-Ginzburg formulation to describe RG flows and topological defects in terms of matrix factorizations.
In conformal field theories (CFTs) of dimension $d>3$, two-dimensional (2d) conformal defects are characterised in part by central charges defined via the defect's contribution to the trace anomaly. However, in general for interacting CFTs these central charges are difficult to calculate. For superconformal 2d defects in supersymmetric (SUSY) CFTs (SCFTs), we show how to compute these defect central charges from the SUSY partition function either on $S^d$ with defect along $S^2$, or on $S^1 \times S^{d-1}$ with defect along $S^1 \times S^1$. In the latter case we propose that defect central ch…
We calculate the proton lifetime and discuss topological defects in a wide class of non-supersymmetric (non-SUSY) $SO(10)$ and $E(6)$ Grand Unified Theories (GUTs), broken via left-right subgroups with one or two intermediate scales (a total of 9 different scenarios with and without D-parity), including the important effect of threshold corrections. By performing a goodness of fit test for unification using the two-loop renormalisation group evolution equations (RGEs), we find that the inclusion of threshold corrections significantly affects the proton lifetime, allowing several scenarios, whi…
In this work we investigate some features of the fermionic sector of the supersymmetric version of the baby Skyrme model. We find that, in the background of BPS compact Skyrmions, fermionic zero modes are confined to the defect core. Further, we show that, while three SUSY generators are broken in the defect core, SUSY is completely restored outside. We study also the effect of a D-term deformation of the model. Such a deformation allows for the existence of fermionic zero modes and broken SUSY outside the compact defect.
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…
I explain how conventional topological defects -- the Abrikosov-Nielsen-Olesen (ANO) string and domain walls -- can acquire non-Abelian moduli localized on their world sheets. The set-up is conceptually similar and generalizes that used by Witten for cosmic strings.
We show how conformal field theory topological defects can relate solutions of open string field theory for different boundary conditions. To this end we generalize the results of Graham and Watts to include the action of defects on boundary condition changing fields. Special care is devoted to the general case when nontrivial multiplicities arise upon defect action. Surprisingly the fusion algebra of defects is realized on open string fields only up to a (star algebra) isomorphism.
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…
We examine codimension--1 topological defects whose associated worldline is geodesically embedded in $\AdS_{2}$. This discussion extends a previous study of exact analytical solutions to the equations of motion of topological defects in $\AdS_{n}$ in a particular limit where the masses of the scalar and gauge field vanish. We study the linear perturbations about the zeroth order kink-like solution and verify that they are stable. We also discuss general features of the perturbation expansion to all orders.
I discuss the possibility of topological defect solutions in field theories containing a tensor field which spontaneously breaks Lorentz symmetry. I find that for theories of a tensor with rank r <= 5 and for which the vacuum manifold consists of the tensors whose "square" is some constant value, only three types of tensor (vectors, antisymmetric two-tensors, and symmetric two-tensors) have the appropriate vacuum manifold topology to support topological defects. Of these, topological defect solutions can be easily constructed for two: vector domain wall solutions and antisymmetric tensor monop…
We study conformal defects in two important examples of string theory orbifolds. First, we show that topological defects in the language of Landau-Ginzburg models carry information about the RG flow between the non-compact orbifolds $\mathbb{C}/\mathbb{Z}_d$. Such defects are shown to correctly implement the bulk-induced RG flow on the boundary. Secondly, we study what the possible conformal defects are between the $c=1$ bosonic 2D conformal field theories with target space $S^1/\mathbb{Z}_2$. The defects cataloged here are obtained from boundary states corresponding to D-branes in the $c=2$ f…
We explore perturbations to a kink-like (codimension 1) topological defect whose world brane is $AdS_{q}$ embedded into $AdS_{q+1}$. Previously, we found solutions in the limit the mass of the scalar field vanishes. In this article we extend a calculation previously done in $AdS_{2}$ to higher-dimensional embedding spaces and find that all perturbations to the mass of the field are stable to first order as expected in a theory with topological defects. We find that the equation of motion to the correction strongly resembles a problem well-known in quantum mechanics.
The structure of extrinsic defects in topologically ordered states of matter is host to a rich set of universal physics. Extrinsic defects in 2+1 dimensional topological states include line-like defects, such as boundaries between topologically distinct states, and point-like defects, such as junctions between different line defects. Gapped boundaries in particular can themselves be \it topologically \rm distinct, and the junctions between them can localize topologically protected zero modes, giving rise to topological ground state degeneracies and projective non-Abelian statistics. In this pa…
I generalize the theory of phonon topological band structures of isostatic lattices to frustrated antiferromagnets. I achieve this with a discovery of a many-body supersymmetry (SUSY) in the phonon problem of balls and springs and its connection to local constraints satisfied by ground states. The Witten index of the SUSY model demands the Maxwell-Calladine index of mechanical structures. "Spontaneous supersymmetry breaking" is identified as the need to gap all modes in the bulk to create the topological isostatic lattice state. Since ground states of magnetic systems also satisfy local constr…
We consider the broken phase of the n-vector model in n+1 dimensions with boundary conditions enforcing the presence of topological defect lines (Ising domain walls, XY vortex lines, and so on), and use field theory to argue an exact expression for the order parameter.
A topological defect separating a pair of two-dimensional CFTs is a codimension one interface along which all components of the stress-energy tensor glue continuously. We study topological defects of the bosonic, (0,1)- and (0,2)-supersymmetric sigma models in two dimensions. We find a geometric classification of such defects closely analogous to that of A-branes of symplectic manifolds, with the role of symplectic form played instead by a neutral signature metric. Alternatively, we find a compact description in terms of a generalized metric on the product of the targets. In the (0,1) case, we…
We explore topological defects in the 4-dimensional pure $\mathbb{Z}_2$ lattice gauge theory. This theory has 1-form $\mathbb{Z}_{2}$ center symmetry as well as the Kramers-Wannier-Wegner (KWW) duality. We construct the KWW duality topological defects in the similar way to that constructed by Aasen, Mong, Fendley arXiv:1601.07185 for the 2-dimensional Ising model. These duality defects turn out to be non-invertible. We also construct the 1-form $\mathbb{Z}_{2}$ symmetry defects as well as the junctions among KWW duality defects and 1-form $\mathbb{Z}_{2}$ center symmetry defects. The crossing …
Topological defects attract much recent interest in high-energy and condensed matter physics because they encode (non-invertible) symmetries and dualities. We study codimension-1 topological defects from a hamiltonian point of view, with the defect location playing the role of `time'. We show that the Weinstein symplectic category governs topological defects and their fusion: each defect is a lagrangian correspondence, and defect fusion is their geometric composition. We illustrate the utility of these ideas by constructing S- and T-duality defects in string theory, including a novel topology-…
Periodically driven (Floquet) systems have been under active theoretical and experimental investigations. This paper aims at a systematic study in the following aspects of Floquet systems: (i) A systematic formulation of topological invariants of Floquet systems based on the cooperation of topology and symmetries. Topological invariants are constructed for the ten symmetry classes in all spatial dimensions, for both homogeneous Floquet systems (Floquet topological insulators and superconductors) and Floquet topological defects. Meanwhile, useful representative Dirac Hamiltonians for all the sy…
Boundary conditions and defects of any codimension are natural parts of any quantum field theory. Surface defects in three-dimensional topological field theories of Turaev-Reshetikhin type have applications to two-dimensional conformal field theories, in solid state physics and in quantum computing. We explain an obstruction to the existence of surface defects that takes values in a Witt group. We then turn to surface defects in Dijkgraaf-Witten theories and their construction in terms of relative bundles; this allows one to exhibit Brauer-Picard groups as symmetry groups of three-dimensional …
Supersymmetry (SUSY) is a symmetry transforming bosons to fermions and vice versa. Indications of its existence have been extensively sought after in high-energy experiments. However, signatures of SUSY have yet to be detected. In this manuscript we propose a condensed matter realization of SUSY on the edge of a Read-Rezayi quantum Hall state, given by filling factors of the form $ν=\frac{k}{k+2}$, where $k$ is an integer. As we show, this strongly interacting state exhibits an $\mathcal{N}=2$ SUSY. This allows us to use a topological invariant - the Witten index - defined specifically for sup…
Motivated by the three-dimensional topological field theory / two-dimensional conformal field theory (CFT) correspondence, we study a broad class of one-dimensional quantum mechanical models, known as anyonic chains, that can give rise to an enormously rich (and largely unexplored) space of two-dimensional critical theories in the thermodynamic limit. One remarkable feature of these systems is the appearance of non-local microscopic "topological symmetries" that descend to topological defects of the resulting CFTs. We derive various model-independent properties of these theories and of this to…
We propose an experimentally feasible scheme for topological interface engineering and show how it can be used for studies of dynamics of topologically nontrivial interfaces and perforation of defects and textures across such interfaces. The method makes use of the internal spin structure of the atoms together with locally applied control of interaction strengths to create many-particle states with highly complex topological properties. In particular, we consider a constructed coherent interface between topologically distinct phases of spinor Bose-Einstein condensates.
We present a mathematical derivation of some of the most important physical quantities arising in topological bilayer systems with permutation twist defects as introduced by Barkeshli et al. in cond-mat/1208.4834. A crucial tool is the theory of permutation equivariant modular functors developed by Barmeier et al. in math.CT/0812.0986 and math.QA/1004.1825.
We study the diffusion processes of a real scalar field in the presence of the distorsion field induced by a chiral topological defect. The defect modifies the usual Euclidean background geometry into a non-diagonal Riemann-Cartan geometry characterized by a singular torsion field. The new form of the diffusion equation is established and the scalar field distribution in the vicinity of the defect is investigated numerically. Results show a high sensitivity to the boundary conditions. In the transient regime, we find that the defect vorticity generates an angular momentum associated to the dif…
In this paper we study Weyl fermions in a family of Gödel-type geometries in Einstein general relativity. We also consider that these solutions are embedded in a topological defect background. We solve the Weyl equation and find the energy eigenvalues and eigenspinors for all three cases of Gödel-type geometries where a topological defect is passing through them. We show that the presence of a topological in these geometries contributes to modification of the spectrum of energy. The energy zero modes for all three cases of the Gödel geometries are discussed.
Lattice Topological Defects in Non-Unitary Conformal Field Theories
Rutgers University(罗格斯大学);Universidade Federal de São Carlos(圣卡洛斯联邦大学);Institut de physique théorique, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay(巴黎萨克雷大学CEA-CNRS理论物理研究所);University of Southern California(南加州大学)