Field Theory Research Articles

Frobenius–Schur indicators for twisted Real representation theory and two dimensional unoriented topological field theory

We construct a two dimensional unoriented open/closed topological field theory from a finite graded group π:Gˆ↠{1,−1}, a π-twisted 2-cocycle θˆ on BGˆ and a character λ:Gˆ→U(1). The underlying oriented theory is a twisted Dijkgraaf–Witten theory. The construction is based on a detailed study of the (Gˆ,θˆ,λ)-twisted Real representation theory of ker⁡π. In particular, twisted Real representations are boundary conditions of the unoriented theory and the generalized Frobenius–Schur element is its crosscap state.

Geometric flavours of quantum field theory on a Cauchy hypersurface. Part II: Methods of quantization and evolution

In this series of papers we aim to provide a mathematically comprehensive framework to the Hamiltonian pictures of quantum field theory in curved spacetimes. Our final goal is to study the kinematics and the dynamics of the theory from the point of differential geometry in infinite dimensions. In this second part we use the tools of Gaussian analysis in infinite dimensional spaces introduced in the first part to describe rigorously the procedures of geometric quantization in the space of Cauchy data of a scalar theory. This leads us to discuss and establish relations between different pictures of QFT. We also apply these tools to describe the geometrization of the space of pure states of quantum field theory as a Kähler manifold. We use this to derive an evolution equation that preserves the geometric structure and avoid norm losses in the evolution. This leads us to a modification of the Schrödinger equation via a quantum connection that we discuss and exemplify in a simple case.

The influence functional in open holography: entanglement and Rényi entropies

Open quantum systems are defined as ordinary unitary quantum theories coupled to a set of external degrees of freedom, which are introduced to take on the rôle of an unobserved environment. Here we study examples of open quantum field theories, with the aid of the so-called Feynman-Vernon Influence Functional (“IF”), including field theories that arise in holographic duality. We interpret the system in the presence of an IF as an open effective field theory, able to capture the effect of the unobserved environment. Our main focus is on computing Rényi and entanglement entropies in such systems, whose description from the IF, or “open EFT”, point of view we develop in this paper. The issue of computing the entanglement-Rényi entropies in open quantum systems is surprisingly rich, and we point out how different prescriptions for the IF may be appropriate depending on the application of choice. A striking application of our methods concerns the fine-grained entropy of subsystems when including gravity in the setup, for example when considering the Hawking radiation emitted by black holes. In this case we show that one prescription for the IF leads to answers consistent with unitary evolution, while the other merely reproduces standard EFT results, well known to be inconsistent with unitary global evolution. We establish these results for asymptotically AdS gravity in arbitrary dimensions, and illustrate them with explicit analytical expressions for the IF in the case of matter-coupled JT gravity in two dimensions.

Rényi mutual information in quantum field theory, tensor networks, and gravity

We explore a large class of correlation measures called the α − z Rényi mutual informations (RMIs). Unlike the commonly used notion of RMI involving linear combinations of Rényi entropies, the α − z RMIs are positive semi-definite and monotonically decreasing under local quantum operations, making them sensible measures of total (quantum and classical) correlations. This follows from their descendance from Rényi relative entropies. In addition to upper bounding connected correlation functions between subsystems, we prove the much stronger statement that for certain values of α and z, the α − z RMIs also lower bound certain connected correlation functions. We develop an easily implementable replica trick which enables us to compute the α − z RMIs in a variety of many-body systems including conformal field theories, free fermions, random tensor networks, and holography.

Evaluation of Point Group Symmetry in Lanthanide(III) Complexes: A New Implementation of a Continuous Symmetry Operation Measure with Autonomous Assignment of the Principal Axis.

The structure of molecular systems dictates the physical properties, and symmetry is the determining factor for all electronic properties. This makes group theory a powerful tool in quantum mechanics to compute molecular properties. For inorganic compounds, the coordination geometry has been estimated as idealized polyhedra with high symmetry, which, through ligand field theory, provides predictive capabilities. However, real samples rarely have ideal symmetry, and although continuous shape measures (CShM) can be used to evaluate deviation from an ideal reference structure σideal, this often fails for lanthanide(III) complexes with high coordination numbers, no obvious choice of principal axes, and no obvious reference structure. In lanthanide complexes, the unique electronic structures and associated properties are intricately tied to the symmetry around the lanthanide center. Therefore, robust methodologies to evaluate and estimate point group symmetry are instrumental for building structure-property relationships. Here, we have demonstrated an algorithmic approach that orients a molecular structure Q in the best possible way to the symmetry axis of any given point group G and computes a deviation from the ideal symmetry σsym(G,Q). This approach does not compute the deviation from an ideal reference system, but the intrinsic deviation in the structure induced by symmetry operations. If the structure contains the symmetry operation, there is no deviation and σsym(G,Q) = 0. The σsym deviation is generated from all of the symmetry operation ÔS in a point group G using the most correct orientation of the sample structure in each group G. The best orientation is found by an algorithm that minimizes the orientation of the structure with respect to G. To demonstrate the methodology, we have investigated the structure and symmetry of 8- and 9-coordinated lanthanide(III) aqua complexes and correlated the luminescence from 3 europium(III) crystals to their actual symmetry. To document the methodology, the approach has been tested on 26 molecules with different symmetries. It was concluded that the method is robust and fully autonomous.

Dynamical analysis of the low-temperature phase diagram of a cuprate superconductor

For a cuprate superconductor, specifically the yttrium barium copper oxide system, we analyze the low-temperature phase diagram consisting of the superconducting, pseudogap, and normal phases by using a phonon-mediated attraction and Coulomb repulsion mechanism. Through this analysis, we show this mechanism in the cuprate is quite important for its key dynamics. For the pairing mechanism, a variational method is developed and applied, and a generalized mean field theory is used to calculate the condensate energy and the energy gap of the quasiparticle. We obtain a self-consistent system of equations for these quantities. The superconducting and pseudogap phases, which involve pair-condensates, are assumed to be equilibrium systems of the condensate and normal subphases. The condition for the phase transition point is given by the equal total electronic energy gains. Assuming that the difference in the pairing range of the pair condensate is small between just above and below the transition temperature, computations are performed to solve the self-consistent system of equations. We find solutions compatible with experimental data. Plausible values of the energy gap in the superconducting phase and in the pseudogap phase are obtained. The present analysis shows that the phonon-mediated attraction and Coulomb repulsion mechanism itself is compatible with the experimental data. The importance of the screening effect through one-phonon exchange in the pairing mechanism and of the structure of the valence band is discussed.

Fusion and Positivity in Chiral Conformal Field Theory

In this article we show that the conformal nets corresponding to WZW models are rational, resolving a long-standing open problem. Specifically, we show that the Jones-Wassermann subfactors associated with these models have finite index. This result was first conjectured in the early 90s but had previously only been proven in special cases, beginning with Wassermann’s landmark results in type A. The proof relies on a new framework for the systematic comparison of tensor products (a.k.a. ‘fusion’) of conformal net representations with the corresponding tensor product of vertex operator algebra modules. This framework is based on the geometric technique of ‘bounded localized vertex operators,’ which realizes algebras of observables via insertion operators localized in partially thin Riemann surfaces. We obtain a general method for showing that Jones-Wassermann subfactors have finite index, and apply it to additional families of important examples beyond WZW models. We also consider applications to a class of positivity phenomena for VOAs, and use this to outline a program for identifying unitary tensor product theories of VOAs and conformal nets even for badly-behaved models.

Two-dimensional gauge anomalies and p-adic numbers

We show how methods of number theory can be used to study anomalies in gauge quantum field theories in spacetime dimension two. To wit, the anomaly cancellation conditions for the abelian part of the local anomaly admit solutions if and only if they admit solutions in the reals and in the p-adics for every prime p and we use this to build an algorithm to find all solutions.

Universal Phenomenology at Critical Exceptional Points of Nonequilibrium O(N) Models

In thermal equilibrium the dynamics of phase transitions is largely controlled by fluctuation-dissipation relations: On the one hand, friction suppresses fluctuations, while on the other hand, the thermal noise is proportional to friction constants. Out of equilibrium, this balance dissolves and one can have situations where friction vanishes due to antidamping in the presence of a finite noise level. We study a wide class of O(N) field theories where this situation is realized at a phase transition, which we identify as a critical exceptional point. In the ordered phase, antidamping induces a continuous limit cycle rotation of the order parameter with an enhanced number of 2N−3 Goldstone modes. Close to the critical exceptional point, however, fluctuations diverge so strongly due to the suppression of friction that in dimensions d<4 they universally either destroy a preexisting static order or give rise to a fluctuation-induced first-order transition. This is demonstrated within a full resummation of loop corrections via Dyson-Schwinger equations for N=2, and a generalization for arbitrary N, which can be solved in the long wavelength limit. We show that in order to realize this physics it is not necessary to drive a system far out of equilibrium: Using the peculiar protection of Goldstone modes, the transition from an xy magnet to a ferrimagnet is governed by an exceptional critical point once weakly perturbed away from thermal equilibrium. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Effective field theories on subspaces of the Bruhat-Tits tree

On two subspaces of the Bruhat-Tits tree, effective actions are calculated. The limits of these effective field theories are found to be the same conformal field theory over p-adic numbers when subspaces are taken to the boundary of the tree. Their relations to the p-adic version of AdS/CFT are also discussed.

Effective action approach to the dynamical map

The dynamical map represents a fundamental concept in quantum field theory, providing a solution of the field equations in the Fock space of asymptotic fields. In this paper, we show how to express the dynamical map of a scalar field in the language of quantum effective action. This grants us new insights into the study of topological defects in quantum field theory by showing a connection between the usual least-action principle and Umezawa’s boson transformation method.

Entanglement and pseudo entanglement dynamics versus fusion in CFT

The fusion rules and operator product expansion (OPE) serve as crucial tools in the study of operator algebras within conformal field theory (CFT). Building upon the vision of using entanglement to explore the connections between fusion coefficients and OPE coefficients, we employ the replica method and Schmidt decomposition method to investigate the time evolution of entanglement entropy (EE) and pseudo entropy (PE) for linear combinations of operators in rational conformal field theory (RCFT). We obtain a formula that links fusion coefficients, quantum dimensions, and OPE coefficients. We also identify two definition schemes for linear combination operators. Under one scheme, the EE captures information solely for the heaviest operators, while the PE retains information for all operators, reflecting the phenomenon of pseudo entropy amplification. Irrespective of the scheme employed, the EE demonstrates a step-like evolution, illustrating the effectiveness of the quasiparticle propagation picture for the general superposition of locally excited states in RCFT. From the perspective of quasiparticle propagation, we observe spontaneous block-diagonalization of the reduced density matrix of a subsystem when quasiparticles enter the subsystem.

Imprints of phase transitions on Kasner singularities

Under the AdS/CFT correspondence, asymptotically anti–de Sitter geometries with backreaction can be viewed as conformal field theory states subject to a renormalization group (RG) flow from an ultraviolet (UV) description toward an infrared (IR) sector. For black holes, however, the IR point is the horizon, so one way to interpret the interior is as an analytic continuation to a “trans-IR” imaginary-energy regime. In this paper, we demonstrate that this analytic continuation preserves some imprints of the UV physics, particularly near its “end point” at the classical singularity. We focus on holographic phase transitions of geometric objects in round black holes. We first assert the consistency of interpreting such black holes, including their interiors, as RG flows by constructing a monotonic a function. We then explore how UV phase transitions of entanglement entropy and scalar two-point functions, each of which are encoded by bulk geometry under the holographic mapping, are related to the structure of the near-singularity geometry, which is quantified by Kasner exponents. Using 2D holographic flows triggered by relevant scalar deformations as test beds, we find that the 3D bulk’s near-singularity Kasner exponents can be viewed as functions of the UV physics precisely when the deformation is nonzero. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Bethe M-layer construction on the Ising model

In statistical physics, one of the standard methods to study second order phase transitions is the renormalization group that usually leads to an expansion around the corresponding fully connected solution. Unfortunately, often in disordered models, some important finite dimensional second-order phase transitions are qualitatively different or absent in the corresponding fully connected model: in such cases the standard expansion fails. Recently, a new method, the M-layer one, has been introduced that performs an expansion around a different soluble mean field model: the Bethe lattice one. This new method has been already used to compute the upper critical dimension DU of different disordered systems such as the Random Field Ising model or the Spin glass model with field. If then one wants to go beyond and construct an expansion around DU to understand how critical quantities get renormalized, the actual computation of all the numerical factors is needed. This next step has still not been performed, being technically more involved. In this paper we perform this computation for the ferromagnetic Ising model without quenched disorder, in finite dimensions: we show that, at one-loop order inside the M-layer approach, we recover the continuum quartic field theory and we are able to identify the coupling constant g and the other parameters of the theory, as a function of macroscopic and microscopic details of the model such as the lattice spacing, the physical lattice dimension and the temperature. This is a fundamental step that will help in applying in the future the same techniques to more complicated systems, for which the standard field theoretical approach is impracticable.

FINITE TEMPERATURE EFFECTS WITHIN SCALAR FIELD DARK MATTER MODEL

The distribution of dark matter in four low surface brightness spiral galaxies is studied using two models within the scalar field theory of dark matter, an alternative to the cold dark matter paradigm. The first model is a Bose-Einstein condensate, in which bosons occupy the ground state at zero temperature. The second model includes finite temperature corrections to the scalar field potential, which allows the introduction of excited states. A nonlinear least squares approximation method is used to determine the free parameters of the models, including scale radius, characteristic (central) density and total mass, based on observational data of rotation curves. Quantitative analysis shows the importance of considering finite temperatures at the galactic level. In addition, the two models are compared with results from widely used and accepted phenomenological dark matter profiles such as the isothermal sphere, Navarro-Frank-White and Burkert profiles. The reliability of each model was assessed based on the Bayesian information criterion of completeness. Statistical analysis provides meaningful interpretation of the choice of a particular profile. Ultimately, this study contributes to a better understanding of the distribution of dark matter in low surface brightness spiral galaxies by shedding light on the performance of scalar field models compared to traditional phenomenological profiles.

Stability discussion of metal carbonates in aqueous solution: Reactive force field and density functional theory

Abstract The nucleation and precipitation of metal carbonates occupy a crucial position in a wide array of industrial processes, environmental occurrences, and geological formations. Understanding the fundamental mechanisms underlying these processes is paramount for optimizing industrial applications and mitigating environmental impacts. In this study, we embark on an investigation utilizing reactive force field molecular dynamics simulations to delve deeply into the nucleation and precipitation process of metal carbonates. These simulations provide profound insights into the mechanisms and kinetics governing the process across diverse conditions. Additionally, through density functional theory calculations, we scrutinize the energetic and dynamical stability of highly hydrated amorphous carbonates and hydrate crystals. Our revelations offer illuminating perspectives on the intricate interplay of factors shaping nucleation and precipitation processes, serving as a foundation for future inquiries in this research field.

Deciphering the Belle II data on B→Kνν¯\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ B\ o K\ u \\overline{\ u} $$\\end{document} decay in the (dark) SMEFT with minimal flavour violation

Recently, the Belle II collaboration announced the first measurement of the branching ratio BB+→K+νν¯\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{B}\\left({B}^{+}\ o {K}^{+}\ u \\overline{\ u}\\right) $$\\end{document}, which is found to be about 2.7σ higher than the Standard Model (SM) prediction. We decipher the data with two new physics scenarios: the underlying quark-level b→sνν¯\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ b\ o s\ u \\overline{\ u} $$\\end{document} transition is, besides the SM contribution, further affected by heavy new mediators that are much heavier than the electroweak scale, or amended by an additional decay channel with undetected light final states like dark matter or axion-like particles. These two scenarios can be most conveniently analyzed in the SM effective field theory (SMEFT) and the dark SMEFT (DSMEFT) framework, respectively. We consider the flavour structures of the resulting effective operators to be either generic or satisfy the minimal flavour violation (MFV) hypothesis, both for the quark and lepton sectors. In the first scenario, once the MFV assumption is made, only one SM-like low-energy effective operator induced by the SMEFT dimension-six operators can account for the Belle II excess, whose parameter space is, however, excluded by the Belle upper bound of the branching ratio BB0→K∗0νν¯\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{B}\\left({B}^0\ o {K}^{\\ast 0}\ u \\overline{\ u}\\right) $$\\end{document}. In the second scenario, it is found that the Belle II excess can be accommodated by 22 of the DSMEFT operators involving one or two scalar, fermionic, or vector dark matters as well as axion-like particles. These operators also receive dominant constraints from the B0 → K*0 + inv and Bs → inv decays. Once the MFV hypothesis is assumed, the number of viable operators is reduced to 14, and the B+ → π+ + inv and K+ → π+ + inv decays start to put further constraints on them. Within the parameter space allowed by all the current experimental data, the q2 distributions of the B → K(*) + inv decays are then studied for each viable operator. We find that the resulting prediction of the operator Qqχ=q¯pγμqrχ¯γμχ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\mathcal{Q}}_{q\\chi}=\\left({\\overline{q}}_p{\\gamma}_{\\mu }{q}_r\\right)\\left(\\overline{\\chi}{\\gamma}^{\\mu}\\chi \\right) $$\\end{document} with a fermionic dark matter mass mχ ≈ 700 MeV can closely match the Belle II event distribution in the bins 2 ≤ q2 ≤ 7 GeV2. In addition, we, for the first time, calculate systematically the longitudinal polarization fraction FL of K* in the B → K* + inv decays within the DLEFT. By combining the decay spectra and FL, almost all the DSMEFT operators are found to be distinguishable from each other. Finally, the future prospects at Belle II, CEPC and FCC-ee are also discussed for some of these FCNC processes.

Superspace worldline formalism approach to quantum gravity: dimensional reduction and holography

Using the ADM formalism, we demonstrate that the Hamiltonian formulation of Quantum Gravity is exactly in the form of a worldline formalism in the superspace. We then show that the Keldysh partition function reduces to the partition function of Euclidean 3D gravity. After discussing the meaning of the time parameter, we show that in the gauge fields formalism, our Keldysh partition function reduces to a generating functional of a 2D conformal field theory. This functional exhibits a minimal time-lapse proportional to the square root of the cosmological constant. From the viewpoint of the Chern–Simons/Liouville correspondence, we calculate the exchange of virtual gravitons between two massive probes from the cosmological boundary.

Asymptotic Weak Gravity Conjecture in M-theory on K3 × K3

Abstract The Asymptotic WGC has been proposed as a special case of the tower WGC that probes infinite distances in the moduli space corresponding to weakly coupled gauge regimes. The conjecture has been studied in M-theory on Calabi-Yau threefold (CY3) with finite volume inducing a 5D effective QFT. In this paper, we extend the scope of the previous study to encompass lower dimensions, particularly we generalise the obtained 5D asymptotic WGC to the effective field theory (EFT$_{3D}$) coupled to 3D gravity that descends from M-theory compactified on Calabi-Yau fourfold with an emphasis on $K3\times K3$. We find that the CY4 has three fibration structures labelled as line Type-$\mathbb {T}^{2}$, surface Type-$\mathbb {S}$ and bulk Type-$\mathbb {V}$. The emergent EFT$_{3D}$ is shown to have 2+2 towers of particles states termed as the BPS $\mathcal {T}_{M_{\mathrm{k}}\rightarrow 0}^{\rm{\small {BPS}}}$ and $\mathcal {T}_{M_{\mathrm{k}}\rightarrow \infty }^{\rm{\small {BPS}}}$ as well as the non-BPS $\mathcal {T}_{M_{\mathrm{k}}\rightarrow 0}^{\rm{\small {N-BPS}}}$ and $\mathcal {T}_{M_{\mathrm{k}}\rightarrow \infty }^{\rm{\small {N-BPS}}}$. To ensure the viability of the 3D Asymptotic WGC, we give explicit calculations to thoroughly test the swampland constraint for both the weakly and strongly gauge coupled regimes. Additional aspects, including the gauge symmetry breaking and duality symmetry are also investigated.

Machine learning the breakdown of tame effective theories

Effective field theories endowed with a nontrivial moduli space may be broken down by several, distinct effects as the energy scales that are probed increase. These may include the appearance of a finite number of new states, or the emergence of an infinite tower of states, as predicted by the Distance Conjecture. Consequently, the moduli space can be partitioned according to which kind of state first breaks down the effective description, and the effective-theory cutoff has to be regarded as a function of the moduli that may abruptly vary in form across the components of the partition. In this work we characterize such a slicing of the moduli space, induced by the diverse breakdown mechanisms, in a two-fold way. Firstly, employing the recently formulated Tameness Conjecture, we show that the partition of the moduli space so constructed is composed only of a finite number of distinct components. Secondly, we illustrate how this partition can be concretely constructed by means of supervised machine learning techniques, with minimal bottom-up information.