Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• Learning knot invariants across dimensions

  Jessica Craven, Mark Hughes, Vishnu Jejjala, Arjun Kar

  SciPost Phys. 14, 021 (2023) · published 21 February 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We use deep neural networks to machine learn correlations between knot invariants in various dimensions. The three-dimensional invariant of interest is the Jones polynomial $J(q)$, and the four-dimensional invariants are the Khovanov polynomial $\text{Kh}(q,t)$, smooth slice genus $g$, and Rasmussen's $s$-invariant. We find that a two-layer feed-forward neural network can predict $s$ from $\text{Kh}(q,-q^{-4})$ with greater than $99\%$ accuracy. A theoretical explanation for this performance exists in knot theory via the now disproven knight move conjecture, which is obeyed by all knots in our dataset. More surprisingly, we find similar performance for the prediction of $s$ from $\text{Kh}(q,-q^{-2})$, which suggests a novel relationship between the Khovanov and Lee homology theories of a knot. The network predicts $g$ from $\text{Kh}(q,t)$ with similarly high accuracy, and we discuss the extent to which the machine is learning $s$ as opposed to $g$, since there is a general inequality $|s| \leq 2g$. The Jones polynomial, as a three-dimensional invariant, is not obviously related to $s$ or $g$, but the network achieves greater than $95\%$ accuracy in predicting either from $J(q)$. Moreover, similar accuracy can be achieved by evaluating $J(q)$ at roots of unity. This suggests a relationship with $SU(2)$ Chern—Simons theory, and we review the gauge theory construction of Khovanov homology which may be relevant for explaining the network's performance.

  3 citations

• Factorization and global symmetries in holography

  Francesco Benini, Christian Copetti, Lorenzo Di Pietro

  SciPost Phys. 14, 019 (2023) · published 14 February 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We consider toy models of holography arising from 3d Chern-Simons theory. In this context a duality to an ensemble average over 2d CFTs has been recently proposed. We put forward an alternative approach in which, rather than summing over bulk geometries, one gauges a one-form global symmetry of the bulk theory. This accomplishes two tasks: it ensures that the bulk theory has no global symmetries, as expected for a theory of quantum gravity, and it makes the partition function on spacetimes with boundaries coincide with that of a modular-invariant 2d CFT on the boundary. In particular, on wormhole geometries one finds a factorized answer for the partition function. In the case of non-Abelian Chern-Simons theories, the relevant one-form symmetry is non-invertible, and its "gauging" corresponds to the condensation of a Lagrangian anyon.

  24 citations

• Unitarity cuts of the worldsheet

  Lorenz Eberhardt, Sebastian Mizera

  SciPost Phys. 14, 015 (2023) · published 7 February 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We compute the imaginary parts of genus-one string scattering amplitudes. Following Witten's $i\varepsilon$ prescription for the integration contour on the moduli space of worldsheets, we give a general algorithm for computing unitarity cuts of the annulus, Möbius strip, and torus topologies exactly in $\alpha'$. With the help of tropical analysis, we show how the intricate pattern of thresholds (normal and anomalous) opening up arises from the worldsheet computation. The result is a manifestly-convergent representation of the imaginary parts of amplitudes, which has the analytic form expected from Cutkosky rules in field theory, but bypasses the need for performing laborious sums over the intermediate states. We use this representation to study various physical aspects of string amplitudes, including their behavior in the $(s,t)$ plane, exponential suppression, decay widths of massive strings, total cross section, and low-energy expansions. We find that planar annulus amplitudes exhibit a version of low-spin dominance: at any finite energy, only a finite number of low partial-wave spins give an appreciable contribution to the imaginary part.

  3 citations

• Charge and antipodal matching across spatial infinity

  Federico Capone, Kevin Nguyen, Enrico Parisini

  SciPost Phys. 14, 014 (2023) · published 6 February 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We derive the antipodal matching relations used to demonstrate the equivalence between soft graviton theorems and BMS charge conservation across spatial infinity. To this end we provide a precise map between Bondi data at null infinity $\mathscr{I}$ and Beig—Schmidt data at spatial infinity $i^0$ in a context appropriate to the gravitational scattering problem and celestial holography. In addition, we explicitly match the various proposals of BMS charges at $\mathscr{I}$ found in the literature with the conserved charges at $i^0$.

  8 citations

• Equal-time approach to real-time dynamics of quantum fields

  Robert Ott, Torsten V. Zache, Jürgen Berges

  SciPost Phys. 14, 011 (2023) · published 1 February 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We employ the equal-time formulation of quantum field theory to derive effective kinetic theories, first for a weakly coupled non-relativistic Bose gas, and then for a strongly correlated system of self-interacting $N$-component fields. Our results provide the link between state-of-the-art measurements of equal-time effective actions using quantum simulator platforms, as employed in [Phys. Rev. X 10, 011020 (2020); Nat. Phys. 16, 1012 (2020)], and observables underlying effective kinetic or hydrodynamic descriptions. New non-perturbative approximation schemes can be developed and certified this way, where the a priori time-local formulation of the equal-time effective action has crucial advantages over the conventional closed-time-path approach which is non-local in time.

• Fermionic Bogomolǹyi-Prasad-Sommerfield Wilson loops in four-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=2$ superconformal gauge theories

  Hao Ouyang, Jun-Bao Wu

  SciPost Phys. 14, 008 (2023) · published 30 January 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We construct for the first time Drukker-Trancanelli (DT) type fermionic Bogomolǹyi-Prasad-Sommerfield (BPS) Wilson loops in four-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=2$ superconformal $SU(N)\times SU(N)$ quiver theory and $\mathcal{N}=4$ super Yang-Mills theory. The connections of these fermionic BPS Wilson loops have a supermatrix structure. We construct timelike BPS Wilson lines in Minkowski spacetime and circular BPS Wilson loops in Euclidean space. These Wilson loops involve dimensionful parameters. For generic values of parameters, they preserve one real (complex) supercharge in Lorentzian (Euclidean) signature. Supersymmetry enhancement for Wilson loops happens when the parameters satisfy certain constraints. The nature of such loops is quite different from the Wilson loop operators involving fermions constructed previously in the literature on four-dimensional gauge theories. We hope that further investigations of such new Wilson loops will explore deep structures in both the gauge theories and gauge/gravity dualities.

  2 citations

• Non-invertible higher-categorical symmetries

  Lakshya Bhardwaj, Lea E. Bottini, Sakura Schäfer-Nameki, Apoorv Tiwari

  SciPost Phys. 14, 007 (2023) · published 26 January 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We sketch a procedure to capture general non-invertible symmetries of a $d$-dimensional quantum field theory in the data of a higher-category, which captures the local properties of topological defects associated to the symmetries. We also discuss fusions of topological defects, which involve condensations/gaugings of higher-categorical symmetries localized on the worldvolumes of topological defects. Recently some fusions of topological defects were discussed in the literature where the dimension of topological defects seems to jump under fusion. This is not possible in the standard description of higher-categories. We explain that the dimension-changing fusions are understood as higher-morphisms of the higher-category describing the symmetry. We also discuss how a 0-form sub-symmetry of a higher-categorical symmetry can be gauged and describe the higher-categorical symmetry of the theory obtained after gauging. This provides a procedure for constructing non-invertible higher-categorical symmetries starting from invertible higher-form or higher-group symmetries and gauging a 0-form symmetry. We illustrate this procedure by constructing non-invertible 2-categorical symmetries in 4d gauge theories and non-invertible 3-categorical symmetries in 5d and 6d theories. We check some of the results obtained using our approach against the results obtained using a recently proposed approach based on 't Hooft anomalies.

  64 citations

• Nonlocal field theory of quasiparticle scattering in dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates

  Caio C. Holanda Ribeiro, Uwe R. Fischer

  SciPost Phys. Core 6, 003 (2023) · published 23 January 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We consider the propagation of quasiparticle excitations in a dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate, and derive a nonlocal field theory of quasiparticle scattering at a stepwise inhomogeneity of the sound speed, obtained by tuning the contact coupling part of the interaction on one side of the barrier. To solve this problem ab initio, i.e., without prior assumptions on the form of the solutions, we reformulate the dipolar Bogoliubov-de Gennes equation as a singular integral equation. The latter is of a novel hypersingular type, in having a kernel which is hypersingular at only two isolated points. Deriving its solution, we show that the integral equation reveals a continuum of evanescent channels at the sound barrier which is absent for a purely contact-interaction condensate. We furthermore demonstrate that by performing a discrete approximation for the kernel, one achieves an excellent solution accuracy for already a moderate number of discretization steps. Finally, we show that the non-monotonic nature of the system dispersion, corresponding to the emergence of a roton minimum in the excitation spectrum, results in peculiar features of the transmission and reflection at the sound barrier which are nonexistent for contact interactions.

  1 citation

• Effective fractonic behavior in a two-dimensional exactly solvable spin liquid

  Guilherme Delfino, Weslei Bernardino Fontana, Pedro R. S. Gomes, Claudio Chamon

  SciPost Phys. 14, 002 (2023) · published 12 January 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  In this work we propose a $\mathbb{Z}_N$ clock model which is exactly solvable on the lattice. We find exotic properties for the low-energy physics, such as UV/IR mixing and excitations with restricted mobility, that resemble fractonic physics from higher dimensional models. We then study the continuum descriptions for the lattice system in two distinct regimes and find two qualitative distinct field theories for each one of them. A characteristic time scale that grows exponentially fast with $N^2$ (and diverges rapidly as function of system parameters) separates these two regimes. For times below this scale, the system is described by an effective fractonic Chern-Simons-like action, where higher-form symmetries prevent quasiparticles from hopping. In this regime, the system behaves effectively as a fracton as isolated particles, in practice, never leave their original position. Beyond the large characteristic time scale, the excitations are mobile and the effective field theory is given by a pure mutual Chern-Simons action. In this regime, the UV/IR properties of the system is captured by a peculiar realization of the translation group.

  6 citations

• dS$\boldsymbol{_2}$ as excitation of AdS$\boldsymbol{_2}$

  Florian Ecker, Daniel Grumiller, Robert McNees

  SciPost Phys. 13, 119 (2022) · published 5 December 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We introduce a family of 2D dilaton gravity models with state-dependent constant curvature so that dS$_2$ emerges as an excitation of AdS$_2$. Curiously, the strong coupling region corresponds to the asymptotic region geometrically. Apart from these key differences, many features resemble the Almheiri--Polchinski model. We discuss perturbative and non-perturbative thermodynamical stability, bubble nucleation through matter shockwaves, and semiclassical backreaction effects. In some of these models, we find that low temperatures are dominated by AdS$_2$ but high temperatures are dominated by dS$_2$, concurrent with a recent proposal by Susskind.

  5 citations