Tagged Questions
6
votes
1answer
298 views
Realization of Witten-type topological quantum field theory in condensed matter physics
It is well-known that some exotic phases in condensed matter physics are described by Schwarz-type TQFTs, such as Chern-Simons theory of quantum Hall states. My question is whether there are condensed ...
7
votes
3answers
98 views
String-theoretic significance of extended CFT
Extended TQFT and CFT have been puzzling me for while. While I understand the mathematical motivation behind them, I don't quite understand the physical meaning. In particular, it's not clear to me to ...
8
votes
2answers
131 views
Wilson Loops in Chern-Simons theory with non-compact gauge groups
VEVs of Wilson loops in Chern-Simons theory with compact gauge groups give us colored Jones, HOMFLY and Kauffman polynomials. I have not seen the computation for Wilson loops in Chern-Simons theory ...
9
votes
4answers
292 views
Applications of Geometric Topology to Theoretical Physics
Geometric topology is the study of manifolds, maps between manifolds, and embeddings of manifolds in one another. Included in this sub-branch of Pure Mathematics; knot theory, homotopy, manifold ...
8
votes
1answer
80 views
Quantum gravity at D = 3
Quantization of gravity (general relativity) seems to be impossible for spacetime dimension D >= 4. Instead, quantum gravity is described by string theory which is something more than quantization ...
7
votes
0answers
53 views
Quantum statistics of branes
Quantum statistics of particles (bosons, fermions, anyons) arises due to the possible topologies of curves in D-dimensional spacetime winding around each other
What happens if we replace particles by ...
8
votes
0answers
36 views
Minimal strings and topological strings
In http://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0206255 Dijkgraaf and Vafa showed that the closed string partition function of the topological B-model on a Calabi-Yau of the form $uv-H(x,y)=0$ coincides with the free ...
10
votes
1answer
126 views
Normalization of the Chern-Simons level in $SO(N)$ gauge theory
In a 3d SU(N) gauge theory with action $\frac{k}{4\pi} \int \mathrm{Tr} (A \wedge dA + \frac{2}{3} A \wedge A \wedge A)$, where the generators are normalized to $\mathrm{Tr}(T^a ...
12
votes
2answers
142 views
Topological twists of SUSY gauge theory
Consider $N=4$ super-symmetric gauge theory in 4 dimensions with gauge group $G$. As is explained in the beginning of the paper of Kapustin and Witten on geometric Langlands, this
theory has 3 ...
18
votes
3answers
173 views
Geometric Langlands as a partially defined topological field theory
I have heard from several physicists that the Kapustin-Witten topological twist of $N=4$ 4-dimensional Yang-Mills theory ("the Geometric Langlands twist") is not expected to give
rise to fully defined ...
15
votes
1answer
131 views
Models of higher Chern-Simons type
It has long been clear that (the action functional of) Chern-Simons theory has various higher analogs and variations of interest. This includes of course traditional higher dimensional Chern-Simons ...
7
votes
3answers
598 views
Group Cohomology and Topological Field Theories
I have a two-part question:
First and foremost: I have been going through the paper by Dijkgraaf and Witten "Group Cohomology and Topological Field Theories". Here they give a general definition for ...
