Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• Soliton confinement in the double sine-Gordon model

  Sergei Rutkevich

  SciPost Phys. 16, 042 (2024) · published 7 February 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The double sine-Gordon field theory in the weak confinement regime is studied. It represents the small non-integrable deformation of the standard sine-Gordon model caused by the cosine perturbation with the frequency reduced by the factor of 2. This perturbation leads to the confinement of the sine-Gordon solitons, which become coupled into the 'meson' bound states. We classify the meson states in the weak confinement regime, and obtain three asymptotic expansions for their masses, which can be used in different regions of the model parameters. It is shown, that the sine-Gordon breathers, slightly deformed by the perturbation term, transform into the mesons upon increase of the sine-Gordon coupling constant.

• Apparent fine tunings for field theories with broken space-time symmetries

  Alberto Nicolis, Ira Z. Rothstein

  SciPost Phys. 16, 045 (2024) · published 9 February 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We exhibit a class of effective field theories that have hierarchically small Wilson coefficients for operators that are not protected by symmetries but are not finely tuned. These theories possess bounded target spaces and vacua that break space-time symmetries. We give a physical interpretation of these theories as generalized solids with open boundary conditions. We show that these theories realize unusual RG flows where higher dimensional (seemingly irrelevant) operators become relevant even at weak coupling. Finally, we present an example of a field theory whose vacuum energy relaxes to a hierarchically small value compared to the UV cut-off.

• Nonlinear response in diffusive systems

  Luca V. Delacrétaz, Ruchira Mishra

  SciPost Phys. 16, 047 (2024) · published 12 February 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Nonintegrable systems thermalize, leading to the emergence of fluctuating hydrodynamics. Typically, this hydrodynamics is diffusive. We use the effective field theory (EFT) of diffusion to compute higher-point functions of conserved densities. We uncover a simple scaling behavior of correlators at late times, and, focusing on three and four-point functions, derive the asymptotically exact universal scaling functions that characterize nonlinear response in diffusive systems. This allows for precision tests of thermalization beyond linear response in quantum and classical many-body systems. We confirm our predictions in a classical lattice gas.

• Aspects of 4d supersymmetric dynamics and geometry

  Shlomo S. Razamat, Evyatar Sabag, Orr Sela, Gabi Zafrir

  SciPost Phys. Lect. Notes 78 (2024) · published 12 February 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  In this set of five Lectures we present a basic toolbox to discuss the dynamics of four dimensional supersymmetric quantum field theories. In particular we overview the program of geometrically engineering the four dimensional supersymmetric models as compactifications of six dimensional SCFTs. We discuss how strong coupling phenomena in four dimensions, such as duality and emergence of symmetry, can be naturally imbedded in the geometric constructions. The Lectures mostly review results which previously appeared in the literature but also contain some unpublished derivations.

• Dipole symmetries from the topology of the phase space and the constraints on the low-energy spectrum

  Tomáš Brauner, Naoki Yamamoto, Ryo Yokokura

  SciPost Phys. 16, 051 (2024) · published 20 February 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We demonstrate the general existence of a local dipole conservation law in bosonic field theory. The scalar charge density arises from the symplectic form of the system, whereas the tensor current descends from its stress tensor. The algebra of spatial translations becomes centrally extended in presence of field configurations with a finite nonzero charge. Furthermore, when the symplectic form is closed but not exact, the system may, surprisingly, lack a well-defined momentum density. This leads to a theorem for the presence of additional light modes in the system whenever the short-distance physics is governed by a translationally invariant local field theory. We also illustrate this mechanism for axion electrodynamics as an example of a system with Nambu-Goldstone modes of higher-form symmetries.

• Line operators in 4d Chern-Simons theory and Cherkis bows

  Nafiz Ishtiaque, Yehao Zhou

  SciPost Phys. 16, 052 (2024) · published 22 February 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We show that the phase spaces of a large family of line operators in 4d Chern-Simons theory with GL$_n$ gauge group are given by Cherkis bow varieties with $n$ crosses. These line operators are characterized by Hanany-Witten type brane constructions involving D3, D5, and NS5 branes in an $\Omega$-background. Linking numbers of the five-branes and mass parameters for the D3 brane theories determine the phase spaces and in special cases they correspond to vacuum moduli spaces of 3d $\mathcal{N}=4$ quiver theories. Examples include line operators that conjecturally create T, Q, and L-operators in integrable spin chains.

• Quantum current and holographic categorical symmetry

  Tian Lan, Jing-Ren Zhou

  SciPost Phys. 16, 053 (2024) · published 23 February 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We establish the formulation for quantum current. Given a symmetry group G, let $\mathcal{C}$:=Rep G be its representation category. Physically, symmetry charges are objects of $\mathcal{C}$ and symmetric operators are morphisms in $\mathcal{C}$. The addition of charges is given by the tensor product of representations. For any symmetric operator O crossing two subsystems, the exact symmetry charge transported by O can be extracted. The quantum current is defined as symmetric operators that can transport symmetry charges over an arbitrary long distance. A quantum current exactly corresponds to an object in the Drinfeld center $Z_1(\mathcal{C})$. The condition for quantum currents to be superconducting is also specified, which corresponds to condensation of anyons in one higher dimension. To express the local conservation, the internal hom must be used to compute the charge difference, and the framework of enriched category is inevitable. To illustrate these ideas, we develop a rigorous scheme of renormalization in one-dimensional lattice systems and analyse the fixed-point models. It is proved that in the fixed-point models, superconducting quantum currents form a Lagrangian algebra in $Z_1(\mathcal{C})$ and the boundary-bulk correspondence is verified in the enriched setting. Overall, the quantum current provides a natural physical interpretation to the holographic categorical symmetry.