We describe general methods for determining higher-form symmetry groups of known 5d and 6d superconformal field theories (SCFTs), and 6d little string theories (LSTs). The 6d theories can be described as supersymmetric gauge theories in 6d which include both ordinary non-abelian 1-form gauge fields and also abelian 2-form gauge fields. Similarly, the 5d theories can also be often described as supersymmetric non-abelian gauge theories in 5d. Naively, the 1-form symmetry of these 6d and 5d theories is captured by those elements of the center of ordinary gauge group which leave the matter content of the gauge theory invariant. However, an interesting subtlety is presented by the fact that some massive BPS excitations, which includes the BPS instantons, are charged under the center of the gauge group, thus resulting in a further reduction of the 1-form symmetry. We use the geometric construction of these theories in M/F-theory to determine the charges of these BPS excitations under the center. We also provide an independent algorithm for the determination of 1-form symmetry for 5d theories that admit a generalized toric construction. The 2-form symmetry group of 6d theories, on the other hand, is captured by those elements of the center of the abelian 2-form gauge group that leave all the massive BPS string excitations invariant, which is much more straightforward to compute as it is encoded in the Green-Schwarz coupling associated to the 6d theory.
We review various aspects of (infinite) quantum group symmetries in 2D massive quantum field theories. We discuss how these symmetries can be used to exactly solve the integrable models. A possible way for generalizing to three dimensions is shortly described.
In this thesis we study different aspects of noncommutativity in quantum mechanics, field theory and gravity. We give particular emphasis on the underlying symmetries of these theories. Deformations of usual symmetries like the external space time symmetries and the internal gauge symmetry in noncommutative theories are analyzed in detail.
We consider holomorphic BF theories, their solutions and symmetries. The equivalence of Cech and Dolbeault descriptions of holomorphic bundles is used to develop a method for calculating hidden (nonlocal) symmetries of holomorphic BF theories. A special cohomological symmetry group and its action on the solution space are described.
Braided quantum field theories proposed by Oeckl can provide a framework for defining quantum field theories having Hopf algebra symmetries. In quantum field theories, symmetries lead to non-perturbative relations among correlation functions. We discuss Hopf algebra symmetries and such relations in braided quantum field theories. We give the four algebraic conditions between Hopf algebra symmetries and braided quantum field theories, which are required for the relations to hold. As concrete examples, we apply our discussions to the Poincare symmetries of two examples of noncommutative field th…
The appearance of quantum groups in conformal field theories is traced back to the Poisson-Lie symmetries of the classical chiral theory. A geometric quantization of the classical theory deforms the Poisson-Lie symmetries to the quantum group ones. This elucidates the fundamental role of chiral symmetries that quantum groups play in conformal models. As a byproduct, one obtains a more geometric approach to the representation theory of quantum groups.
Target space modular symmetries relevant to string loop threshold corrections are studied for $Z_N$ orbifold compactified string theories containing Wilson line background fields.
We review briefly a stream of ideas concerning the role of quantum groups as hidden symmetries in conformal field theories, paying particular attention to the field theoretical representations of quantum groups based on Coulomb gas methods. An extensive bibliography is also included.
We describe constructing solutions of the field equations of Chern-Simons and topological BF theories in terms of deformation theory of locally constant (flat) bundles. Maps of flat connections into one another (dressing transformations) are considered. A method of calculating (nonlocal) dressing symmetries in Chern-Simons and topological BF theories is formulated.
We describe few aspects of the quantum symmetries of some massless two-dimensional field theories. We discuss their relations with recent proposals for the factorized scattering theories of the massless $PCM_1$ and $O(3)_{θ=π}$ sigma models. We use these symmetries to propose massless factorized S-matrices for the $su(2)$ sigma models with topological terms at any level, alias the $PCM_k$ models, and for the $su(2)$-coset massless flows.
Duality symmetries are discussed for non-linear gauge theories of (n-1)-th rank antisymmetric tensor fields in general even dimensions d=2n. When there are M field strengths and no scalar fields, the duality symmetry groups should be compact. We find conditions on the Lagrangian required by compact duality symmetries and show an example of duality invariant non-linear theories. We also discuss how to enlarge the duality symmetries to non-compact groups by coupling scalar fields described by non-linear sigma models.
Field theories with p-form gauge potentials can possess ``hidden'' symmetries leaving the field strengths invariant on-shell without being gauge symmetries on-shell. The relevance of such symmetries to supersymmetric models is discussed. They provide central charges of supersymmetry algebras, play a particular role in duality relations, and lead to peculiar interactions. A multiplet of N=2 supersymmetry in four dimensions with two hidden central charges is presented.
A geometric global formulation of the higher-order Lagrangian formalism for systems with finite number of degrees of freedom is provided. The formalism is applied to the study of systems with groups of Noetherian symmetries.
We revisit the N=6 superconformal Chern-Simons-matter theories and their supergravity duals in the context of generalized symmetries. This allows us to finally clarify how the $SU(N)\times SU(N)$ and $(SU(N)\times SU(N))/\mathbb{Z}_N$ theories, as well as other quotient theories that have recently been discussed, fit into the holographic framework. It also resolves a long standing puzzle regarding the di-baryon operator in the $U(N)\times U(N)$ theory.
We present more examples of dual N=1 SUSY gauge theories. This set of theories is connected by flows to both Seiberg's and Kutasov's dual theories. This provides a unifying picture of the various dual theories. We investigate the dual theories, their flat directions and mass perturbations.
We present part of our investigations on two dimensional N=1 and N=2 superconformal field theories. As a direct generalization we consider the SU(2) coset models, in particular their renormalization group properties. A search and possible implementation of additional symmetries in related integrable models are also presented.
We review the status of duality symmetries in superstring theories. These discrete symmetries mark the striking differences between theories of pointlike objects and theories of extended objects. They prove to be very helpful in understanding non-perturbative effects in string theories. We will also briefly discuss the strange role played by open strings and their solitons in the emerging scenario.
Topological field theories of Schwarz-type generally admit symmetries whose algebra does not close off-shell, e.g. the basic symmetries of BF models or vector supersymmetry of the gauge-fixed action for Chern-Simons theory (this symmetry being at the origin of the perturbative finiteness of the theory). We present a detailed discussion of all these symmetries within the algebraic approach to the Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism. Moreover, we discuss the general algebraic construction of topological models of both Schwarz- and Witten-type.
Following on from a general observation in an earlier paper, we consider the continuous symmetries of a certain class of conformal field theories constructed from lattices and their reflection-twisted orbifolds. It is shown that the naive expectation that the only such (inner) symmetries are generated by the modes of the vertex operators corresponding to the states of unit conformal weight obtains, and a criterion for this expectation to hold in general is proposed.
We construct a modification of the Poisson bracket which is suitable for a canonical analysis of space-time noncommutative field theories. We show that this bracket satisfies the Jacobi identities and generates equations of motion. In this modified canonical formalism one can define the notion of the first-class constraints, demonstrate that they generate gauge symmetries, and derive an explicit form of these symmetry transformations.
A superspace formulation is proposed for the osp(1,2)-covariant Lagrangian quantization of general massive gauge theories. Thereby, osp(1,2) is considered as subalgebra of the superalgebra sl(1,2) which is interpreted as conformal algebra acting on two anticommuting coordinates. The mass-dependent (anti)BRST symmetries of the quantum action in the osp(1,2) superfield formalism are realized as translations associated by mass-dependent special conformal transformations.
Mixed anomalies, higher form symmetries, two-group symmetries and non-invertible symmetries have proved to be useful in providing non-trivial constraints on the dynamics of quantum field theories. We study mixed anomalies involving discrete zero-form global symmetries, and possibly a one-form symmetry, in 3d $\mathcal{N} \geq 3$ gauge theories using the superconformal index. The effectiveness of this method is demonstrated via several classes of theories, including Chern-Simons-matter theories, such as the $\mathrm{U}(1)_k$ gauge theory with hypermultiplets of diverse charges, the $T(\mathrm{S…
We study compactified pure gauge/gravitational theories with gauge-fixing terms and show that these theories possess quantum mechanical SUSY-like symmetries between unphysical degrees of freedom. These residual symmetries are global symmetries and generated by quantum mechanical N=2 supercharges. Also, we establish new one-parameter family of gauge choices for higher-dimensional gravity, and calculate as a check of its validity one graviton exchange amplitude in the lowest tree-level approximation. We confirm that the result is indeed $ξ$-independent and the cancellation of the $ξ$-dependence …
We study realization of the target space diffeomorphisms in the type $C$ topological string. We found that the charges, which generate transformations of the boundary observables, form an algebra, which differs from that of bulk charges by the contribution of the bubbled disks. We discuss applications to noncommutative field theories.
We compute the form of the Lagrangian of N=1 supersymmetric theories with gauged axion symmetries. It turns out that there appear generalized Chern-Simons terms that were not considered in previous superspace formulations of general N=1 theories. Such gaugings appear in supergravities arising from flux compactifications of superstrings, as well as from Scherk-Schwarz generalized dimensional reduction in M-theory. We also present the dual superspace formulation where axion chiral multiplets are dualized into linear multiplets.
I discuss motivations for introducing Hopf algebra symmetries in noncommutative field theories and briefly describe twisting of main symmetry transformations. New results include an extended list of twisted gauge invariants (which may help to overcome the problem of inconsistency of equations of motion) and a gauge-covariant twist operator (leading to a gauge-covariant star product).
We determine the structure of 1-form symmetries for all 4d $\mathcal{N} = 2$ theories that have a geometric engineering in terms of type IIB string theory on isolated hypersurface singularities. This is a large class of models, that includes Argyres-Douglas theories and many others. Despite the lack of known gauge theory descriptions for most such theories, we find that the spectrum of 1-form symmetries can be obtained via a careful analysis of the non-commutative behaviour of RR fluxes at infinity in the IIB setup. The final result admits a very compact field theoretical reformulation in term…
The classical and quantum algebras of a class of conformal NA-Toda models are studied. It is shown that the $SL(2,R)_q$ Poisson brackets algebra generated by certain chiral and antichiral charges of the nonlocal currents and the global U(1) charge appears as an algebra of the symmetries of these models.
The zero-form and one-form global symmetries of the Aharony-Bergman-Jafferis (ABJ) and related theories, with at least $\mathcal{N}=6$ supersymmetry in three dimensions, are examined in detail. Starting from well-known dualities between theories with orthogonal and symplectic gauge groups and those with unitary gauge groups, we gauge their one-form symmetries or their subgroups and obtain new dualities. One side of the latter involves theories with special orthogonal and symplectic gauge groups, and the other side involves theories with unitary gauge groups; there is a discrete quotient on one…
The Homogeneous sine-Gordon (HSG) theories are integrable perturbations of $G_k/U(1)^{r_G}$ coset CFTs, where $G$ is a simple compact Lie group of rank $r_G$ and $k>1$ is an integer. Using their T-duality symmetries, we investigate the relationship between the different theories corresponding to a given coset, and between the different phases of a particular theory. Our results suggest that for $G=SU(n)$ with $n\geq5$ and $E_6$ there could be two non-equivalent HSG theories associated to the same coset, one of which has not been considered so far.
In the present work we study dynamical space-time symmetries in noncommutative relativistic theories by using the minimal canonical extension of the Doplicher, Fredenhagen and Roberts algebra. Our formalism is constructed in an extended space-time with independent degrees of freedom associated with the object of noncommutativity $θ^{μν}$. In this framework we consider theories that are invariant under the Poincaré group ${\cal P}$ or under its extension ${\cal P}'$, when translations in the extra dimensions are permitted. The Noether's formalism adapted to such extended $x+θ$ space-time is emp…
Anomalous U(1) gauge symmetries can appear both in heterotic and type I string theories. In the heterotic case we find a single anomalous U(1), while in open string theories several such symmetries can appear. Nonetheless, there is a conjectured duality symmetry that might connect these two theories. We review the properties of anomalous gauge symmetries in various string theories as well as the status of this heterotic-type I/II duality. We also comment on the possible phenomenological applications of anomalous gauge symmetries in string theory.
We classify the possible finite symmetries of conformal field theories with an affine Lie algebra su(2) and su(3), and discuss the results from the perspective of the graphs associated with the modular invariants. The highlights of the analysis are first, that the symmetries we found in either case are matched by the graph data in a perfect way in the case of su(2), but in a looser way for su(3), and second, that some of the graphs lead naturally to projective representations, both in su(2) and in su(3).
The focus of the present thesis is on the analysis of gauge symmetry and its various impacts on gauge theories. In the first part of this thesis, we have studied different aspects of symmetries in connection with various field and string theoretic models. The manifestations of gauge symmetries and their interconnection with the diffeomorphism invariances have been discussed in the context of different generally covariant models like string, membrane, $p-$brane and metric gravity. Analysis of interacting string with proper inclusion of the stringy boundary conditions led to the noncommutative n…
Based on the technique of derivation of a theory, presented in our recent paper, we investigate the properties of the derived quantum system. We show that the derived quantum system possesses the (nonanomalous) symmetries of the original one, and prove that the exact Green functions of the derived theory are expressed in terms of the semiclassically approximated Green functions of the original theory.
We construct a sequence of nilpotent BRST charges in RNS superstring theory, based on new gauge symmetries on the worldsheet, found in this paper. These new local gauge symmetries originate from the global nonlinear space-time $α$-symmetries, shown to form a noncommutative ground ring in this work. The important subalgebra of these symmetries is $U(3)\times{X_6}$, where $X_6$ is solvable Lie algebra consisting of 6 elements with commutators reminiscent of the Virasoro type. We argue that the new BRST charges found in this work describe the kinetic terms in string field theories around curved b…
We examine six-dimensional quantum field theories through the lens of higher-form global symmetries. Every Yang-Mills gauge theory in six dimensions, with field strength $f^{(2)}$, naturally gives rise to a continuous 1-form global symmetry associated with the 2-form instanton current $J^{(2)} \sim * \text{Tr} \left( f^{(2)} \wedge f^{(2)}\right)$. We show that suitable mixed anomalies involving the gauge field $f^{(2)}$ and ordinary 0-form global symmetries, such as flavor or Poincaré symmetries, lead to continuous 2-group global symmetries, which allow two flavor currents or two stress tenso…
S-dualities in scale invariant N=2 supersymmetric field theories are derived by embedding those theories in asymptotically free N=2 theories with higher rank gauge groups. S-duality transformations on the coupling of the scale invariant theory follow from global symmetries acting on the Coulomb branch of the higher rank theory. Since these global symmetries are exact in the asymptotically free theory, this shows that S-duality is an exact equivalence of N=2 theories and not just a property of their supersymmetric states.
We propose supergravity duals to non-trivial fixed points of the renormalization group in three dimensions with ADE global symmetries. All the fixed point symmetries are identified with space-time symmetries.
Previously, we have developed a general method to construct invariant conserved currents and charges in gravitational theories with Lagrangians that are invariant under spacetime diffeomorphisms and local Lorentz transformations. This approach is now generalized to the case when the local Lorentz group is replaced by an arbitrary local gauge group. The particular examples include the Maxwell and Yang-Mills fields coupled to gravity with Abelian and non-Abelian local internal symmetries, and the metric-affine gravity in which the local Lorentz spacetime group is extended to the local general li…
In the paper a concept of a double symmetry is introduced, and its qualitative characteristics and rigorous definitions are given. We describe two ways to construct the double-symmetric field theories and present an example demonstrating the high efficiency of one of them. In noting the existing double-symmetric theories we draw attention at a dual status of the group $SU(2)_{L} \otimes SU(2)_{R}$ as a secondary symmetry group, and in this connexion we briefly discuss logically possible aspects of the $P$-violation in weak interactions.
We calculate the superconformal indices of a class of six-dimensional ${\cal N}=(1,0)$ superconformal field theories realized on M5-branes at $\mathbb{C}^2/\mathbb{Z}_k$ singularity by using the method developed in previous works of the authors and collaborators. We use the AdS/CFT correspondence, and finite $N$ corrections are included as the contribution of M2-branes wrapped on two-cycles in $S^4/\mathbb{Z}_k$. We confirm that the indices are consistent with the expected flavor symmetries.
Recently, the superconformal index for a class of 5-dimensional superconformal quantum field theories with gauge group SU(2) and $N_f$ flavors was computed in Kim, Kim, and Lee (2012) to a few low orders in the chemical potential and enhancement of the global symmetry to $E_{N_f+1}$ was confirmed to this low order. In this note I provide an argument that the information contained in these few low order terms in the expansion of the index is sufficient to prove the enhancement of global symmetries in the theories. So, in particular the expression for the indices must display the enhancement to …
We prove that N=2 theories that arise by taking n free hypermultiplets and gauging a subgroup of Sp(n), the non-R global symmetry of the free theory, have a remaining global symmetry which is a direct sum of unitary, symplectic, and special orthogonal factors. This implies that theories that have SU(N) but not U(N) global symmetries, such as Gaiotto's T_N theories, are not likely to arise as IR fixed points of RG flows from weakly coupled N=2 gauge theories.
We study the space-time symmetries and transformation properties of the non-commutative U(1) gauge theory, by using Noether charges. We carry out our analysis by keeping an open view on the possible ways $θ^{μν}$ could transform. We conclude that $θ^{μν}$ cannot transform under any space-time transformation since the theory is not invariant under the conformal transformations, with the only exception of space-time translations. The same analysis applies to other gauge groups.
The symmetries of perturbed conformal field theories are analysed. We explain which generators of the chiral algebras of a bulk theory survive a perturbation by an exactly marginal bulk field. We also study the behaviour of D-branes under current-current bulk deformations. We find that the branes always continue to preserve as much symmetry as they possibly can, i.e. as much as is preserved in the bulk. We illustrate these findings with several examples, including permutation branes in WZW models and B-type D-branes in Gepner models.
We analyse the fusion, braiding and scattering properties of discrete non-abelian anyons. These occur in (2+1)-dimensional theories where a gauge group G is spontaneously broken down to some discrete subgroup H. We identify the quantumnumbers of the electrically and magnetically charged sectors of the remaining discrete gauge theory, and show that on the quantum level the symmetry group H is extended to the (quasi-triangular) Hopf algebra D(H). Most of our considerations are relevant for discrete gauge theories in (3+1)-dimensional space time as well.
We show how to extend the 't Hooft anomaly matching conditions to discrete symmetries. We check these discrete anomaly matching conditions on several proposed low-energy spectra of certain strongly interacting gauge theories. The excluded examples include the proposed chirally symmetric vacuum of pure N=1 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories, certain non-supersymmetric confining theories and some self-dual N=1 supersymmetric theories based on exceptional groups.
It is well-known that six-dimensional superconformal field theories can be exploited to unravel interesting features of lower-dimensional theories obtained via compactifications. In this short note we discuss a new application of 6d (2,0) theories in constructing 4d theories with Kramers-Wannier-like non-invertible symmetries. Our methods allow to recover previously known results, as well as to exhibit infinitely many new examples of four dimensional theories with "M-ality" defects (arising from operations of order $M$ generalizing dualities). In particular, we obtain examples of order $M=p^k$…
Higher-form symmetries have proved useful in constraining the dynamics of a number of quantum field theories. In the context of the Argyres-Douglas (AD) theories of the $(G,G')$ type, we find that the 1-form symmetries are invariant under the Higgs branch flow, and that they are captured by the non-Higgsable sector at a generic point on the Higgs branch of the AD theory in question. As a consequence, dimensional reduction of an AD theory with a non-trivial 1-form symmetry to 3d leads to a free sector. We utilize these observations, along with other results, to propose systematically the mirror…
We determine the 2-group structure constants for all the six-dimensional little string theories (LSTs) geometrically engineered in F-theory without frozen singularities. We use this result as a consistency check for T-duality: the 2- groups of a pair of T-dual LSTs have to match. When the T-duality involves a discrete symmetry twist the 2-group used in the matching is modified. We demonstrate the matching of the 2-groups in several examples.
In [1,2] it was shown that the subleading soft photon theorem in tree level amplitudes in massless QED is equivalent to a new class of symmetries of the theory parameterized by a vector field on the celestial sphere. In this paper, we extend these results to the subleading soft photon theorem in any Effective Field Theory containing photons and an arbitrary spectrum of massless particles. We show that the charges associated to the above class of symmetries are sensitive to certain three point functions of the theory and are corrected by irrelevant operators of specific dimensions. Our analysis…
The supersymmetric version of a topological quantum field theory describing flat connections, the super BF-theory, is studied in the superspace formalism. A set of observables related to topological invariants is derived from the curvature of the superspace. Analogously to the non-supersymmetric versions, the theory exhibits a vector-like supersymmetry. The role of the vector supersymmetry and an additional new symmetry of the action in the construction of observables is explained.
We show that the non-linear realisations of all the very extended algebras G^{+++}, except the B and C series which we do not consider, contain fields corresponding to all possible duality symmetries of the on-shell degrees of freedom of these theories. This result also holds for G_2^{+++} and we argue that the non-linear realisation of this algebra accounts precisely for the form fields present in the corresponding supersymmetric theory. We also find a simple necessary condition for the roots to belong to a G^{+++} algebra.
We study new symmetries between A and D type quiver gauge theories with different numbers of colors. We realize these gauge theories with twisted masses via a brane construction that reproduces all the parameters of the Gauge/Bethe correspondence.
The derivation of the nilpotent (anti-)BRST symmetries for the matter fields, present in any arbitrary interacting gauge theory, has been an long-standing problem in the framework of superfield approach to BRST formalism. These nilpotent (anti-)BRST symmetries for the Dirac fields are derived in the superfield formulation for the interacting Abelian gauge theory in four $(3 + 1)$-dimensions (4D) of spacetime. The same type of symmetries are deduced for the 4D complex scalar fields having a gauge invariant interaction with the U(1) gauge field. The above interacting theories are considered on t…
New developments on the symmetries of non-relativistic field theoretical models on the non commutative plane are reviewed. It is shown in particular that Galilean invariance strongly restricts the admissible interactions. Moreover, if a scalar field is coupled to a Chern - Simons gauge field, a geometrical phase emerges for vortex - like solutions, transformed by Galilei boosts.
Classifying the phases of gauge theories is hindered by the lack of local order parameters. In particular, the standard Wilson's and 't Hooft's non-local order parameters are known to be insufficient to explain the existence of the plethora of phases that are found in supersymmetric gauge theories. Motivated by these observations, we reanalyze the concept of gauge symmetry breaking using Galois theory. Unlike the ordinary classical notion of unbroken gauge group, the Galois symmetry makes sense in the full quantum theory and must be a phase invariant. The algebraic structure underlying the spa…
