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Caltech

High Energy Theory Seminar

Friday, December 3, 2021
11:00am to 12:00pm
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Online and In-Person Event
Non-Invertible Duality Defects
Clay Cordova, University of Chicago,

Limited capacity in 469 Lauritsen

For any quantum system invariant under gauging a higher-form global symmetry, we construct a non-invertible topological defect by gauging in only half of spacetime. This generalizes the Kramers-Wannier duality line in 1+1 dimensions to higher space- time dimensions. We focus on the case of a one-form symmetry in 3+1 dimensions, and determine the fusion rule. From a direct analysis of one-form symmetry protected topological phases, we show that the existence of certain kinds of duality defects is intrinsically incompatible with a trivially gapped phase. We give an explicit realization of this duality defect in the free Maxwell theory where it is realized by a Chern-Simons coupling between the gauge fields from the two sides.

For Zoom information, please email [email protected]