Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• 't Hooft lines of ADE-type and topological quivers

  Youssra Boujakhrout, El Hassan Saidi, Rachid Ahl Laamara, Lalla Btissam Drissi

  SciPost Phys. 15, 078 (2023) · published 5 September 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We investigate 4D Chern-Simons theory with ADE gauge symmetries in the presence of interacting Wilson and 't Hooft line defects. We analyse the intrinsic properties of these lines' coupling and explicate the building of oscillator-type Lax matrices verifying the RLL integrability equation. We propose gauge quiver diagrams Q$_{G}^{\mu}$ encoding the topological data carried by the Lax operators and give several examples where Darboux coordinates are interpreted in terms of topological bi-fundamental matter. We exploit this graphical description (i) to give new results regarding solutions in representations beyond the fundamentals of $sl_{N}$, $ so_{2N}$ and $e_{6,7}$, and (ii) to classify the Lax operators for simply laced symmetries in a unified E$_{7}$ CS theory. For quick access, a summary list of the leading topological quivers Q$ _{ADE}^{\mu}$ is given in the conclusion section [Figures 29.(a-e), 30.(a-d) and 31.(a-d)].

  11 citations

• Non-minimal coupling, negative null energy, and effective field theory

  Jackson R. Fliss, Ben Freivogel, Eleni-Alexandra Kontou, Diego Pardo Santos

  SciPost Phys. 16, 119 (2024) · published 2 May 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The non-minimal coupling of scalar fields to gravity has been claimed to violate energy conditions, leading to exotic phenomena such as traversable wormholes, even in classical theories. In this work we adopt the view that the non-minimal coupling can be viewed as part of an effective field theory (EFT) in which the field value is controlled by the theory's cutoff. Under this assumption, the average null energy condition, whose violation is necessary to allow traversable wormholes, is obeyed both classically and in the context of quantum field theory. In addition, we establish a type of "smeared" null energy condition in the non-minimally coupled theory, showing that the null energy averaged over a region of spacetime obeys a state dependent bound, in that it depends on the allowed field range. We finally motivate our EFT assumption by considering when the gravity plus matter path integral remains semi-classically controlled.

  11 citations

• Infinite $\mathrm{T\bar T}$-like symmetries of compactified LST

  Silvia Georgescu, Monica Guica

  SciPost Phys. 16, 006 (2024) · published 8 January 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We show that the three-dimensional asymptotically linear dilaton background that arises in the near-horizon decoupling region of NS5-branes compactified on $T^4$ admits boundary conditions that lead to an infinite set of symmetries. The associated conserved charges, which implement field-dependent coordinate transformations, are found to be identical to the corresponding generators in a symmetric product orbifold of $T\bar T$ - deformed CFTs. Their algebra is a non-linear modification of the Virasoro × Virasoro algebra, which precisely coincides with the algebra of the "unrescaled" symmetry generators in $T\bar T$-deformed CFTs. This further strengthens a previously proposed link between the single-trace $T\bar T$ deformation and compactified little string theory.

  11 citations

• Argyres-Douglas theories in class S without irregularity

  Christopher Beem, Wolfger Peelaers

  SciPost Phys. 12, 172 (2022) · published 24 May 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We make a preliminary investigation into twisted $A_{2n}$ theories of class S. Contrary to a common piece of folklore, we establish that theories of this type realise a variety of models of Argyres-Douglas type while utilising only regular punctures. We present an in-depth analysis of all twisted $A_2$ trinion theories, analyse their interrelations via partial Higgsing, and discuss some of their generalised S-dualities.

  11 citations

• Matrix models and holography: Mass deformations of long quiver theories in 5d and 3d

  Mohammad Akhond, Andrea Legramandi, Carlos Nunez, Leonardo Santilli, Lucas Schepers

  SciPost Phys. 15, 086 (2023) · published 8 September 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We enlarge the dictionary between matrix models for long linear quivers preserving eight supercharges in $d=5$ and $d=3$ and type IIB supergravity backgrounds with AdS$_{d+1}$ factors. We introduce mass deformations of the field theory that break the quiver into a collection of interacting linear quivers, which are decoupled at the end of the RG flow. We find and solve a Laplace problem in supergravity which realises these deformations holographically. The free energy and expectation values of antisymmetric Wilson loops are calculated on both sides of the proposed duality, finding agreement. With our matching procedure, the free energy satisfies a strong version of the F-theorem.

  11 citations

• Gravity loop integrands from the ultraviolet

  Alex Edison, Enrico Herrmann, Julio Parra-Martinez, Jaroslav Trnka

  SciPost Phys. 10, 016 (2021) · published 25 January 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We demonstrate that loop integrands of (super-)gravity scattering ampli- tudes possess surprising properties in the ultraviolet (UV) region. In particular, we study the scaling of multi-particle unitarity cuts for asymptotically large momenta and expose an improved UV behavior of four-dimensional cuts through seven loops as com- pared to standard expectations. For N=8 supergravity, we show that the improved large momentum scaling combined with the behavior of the integrand under BCFW deformations of external kinematics uniquely fixes the loop integrands in a number of non-trivial cases. In the integrand construction, all scaling conditions are homoge- neous. Therefore, the only required information about the amplitude is its vanishing at particular points in momentum space. This homogeneous construction gives indirect evidence for a new geometric picture for graviton amplitudes similar to the one found for planar N=4 super Yang-Mills theory. We also show how the behavior at infinity is related to the scaling of tree-level amplitudes under certain multi-line chiral shifts which can be used to construct new recursion relations.

  11 citations

• A Toy Model of the Information Paradox in Empty Space

  Suvrat Raju

  SciPost Phys. 6, 073 (2019) · published 24 June 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  A sharp version of the information paradox involves a seeming violation of the monogamy of entanglement during black hole evaporation. We construct an analogous paradox in empty anti-de Sitter space. In a local quantum field theory, Bell correlations between operators localized in mutually spacelike regions are monogamous. We show, through a controlled calculation, that this property can be violated by an order-1 factor in a theory of gravity. This example demonstrates that what appears to be a violation of the monogamy of entanglement may just be a subtle violation of locality in quantum gravity.

  11 citations

• Celestial holography: Lectures on asymptotic symmetries

  Prema B. Aneesh, Geoffrey Compère, Leonardo Pipolo de Gioia, Igor Mol, Bianca Swidler

  SciPost Phys. Lect. Notes 47 (2022) · published 13 April 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The aim of these Lectures is to provide a brief overview of the subject of asymptotic symmetries of gauge and gravity theories in asymptotically flat spacetimes as background material for celestial holography.

  11 citations

• 2-group global symmetries, hydrodynamics and holography

  Nabil Iqbal, Napat Poovuttikul

  SciPost Phys. 15, 063 (2023) · published 16 August 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  2-group global symmetries are a particular example of how higher-form and conventional global symmetries can fuse together into a larger structure. We construct a theory of hydrodynamics describing the finite-temperature realization of a 2-group global symmetry composed out of $U(1)$ zero-form and $U(1)$ one-form symmetries. We study aspects of the thermodynamics from a Euclidean partition function and derive constitutive relations for ideal hydrodynamics from various points of view. Novel features of the resulting theory include an analogue of the chiral magnetic effect and a chiral sound mode propagating along magnetic field lines. We also discuss a minimalist holographic description of a theory dual to 2-group global symmetry and verify predictions from hydrodynamic descriptions. Along the way we clarify some aspects of symmetry breaking in higher-form theories at finite temperature.

  11 citations

• Field Theories for type-II fractons

  Weslei B. Fontana, Pedro R. S. Gomes, Claudio Chamon

  SciPost Phys. 12, 064 (2022) · published 16 February 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We derive an effective field theory for a type-II fracton starting from the Haah code on the lattice. The effective topological theory is not given exclusively in terms of an action; it must be supplemented with a condition that selects physical states. Without the constraint, the action only describes a type-I fracton. The constraint emerges from a condition that cube operators multiply to the identity, and it cannot be consistently implemented in the continuum theory at the operator level, but only in a weaker form, in terms of matrix elements of physical states. Informed by these studies and starting from the opposite end, i.e., the continuum, we discuss a Chern-Simons-like theory that does not need a constraint or projector, and yet has no mobile excitations. Whether this continuum theory admits a lattice counterpart remains unanswered.

  11 citations