Mini Workshop on QFTs and symmetries
- Date
- 12 June 2025, 14:15 – 13 June 2025, 11:45
- Location
- Ångström Laboratory, 4003
- Type
- Workshop
- Lecturer
- Pavel Putrov, Francesco Benini, Sara Pasquetti and Chris Hull
- Organiser
- Centre for Geometry and Physics
- Contact person
- Michele Del Zotto
Pavel Putrov, Francesco Benini, Sara Pasquetti and Chris Hull each give a talk. Welcome!
Thursday, June 12
14:15-15:15
Pavel Putrov
Some relations between gauge theories with finite and continuous gauge groups.
In my talk, I will discuss some relations between 3d Chern-Simons theory for an algebraic gauge group over complex numbers and twisted Dijkgraaf-Witten gauge theory for a finite group which is the same algebraic group, but over a finite field. I will focus on the SU(2) case.
15:30-16:30
Francesco Benini
Entanglement Asymmetry for Noninvertible Symmetries
Entanglement asymmetry is a measure of symmetry breaking in quantum subsystems, inspired by quantum information theory, particularly suited to study out-of-equilibrium states. In the first part of the talk I will overview this new observable, and then study the entanglement asymmetry of a class of excited "coherent states" in conformal quantum field theories with a U(1) symmetry, employing Euclidean path-integral methods with topological symmetry defects and the replica formalism. I will also present the Lorentzian time evolution of asymmetry, showcasing the dynamical restoration of the symmetry due to thermalization, as well as the presence of a quantum Mpemba effect. In the second part of the talk I will describe how to define and compute the asymmetry of noninvertible (or categorical) symmetries, and how it can detect spontaneous symmetry breaking.
Friday, June 13
9:30-10:30
Sara Pasquetti
Planar abelian mirror duals of 3d CS quiver theories
We show that a broad class of 3d N=2 chiral Chern-Simons gauge theories admit an abelian and planar dual description.
These chiral-planar dualities emerge by performing real "axial" mass deformations on known N=4 mirror pairs, to flow to chiral theories on the electric side. While identifying the correct dual vacuum is subtle due to the rich structure of the Coulomb branch, we develop a mirror dualization algorithm that streamlines this process and systematically provides the abelian-planar duals of chiral quivers.
Building on these SUSY results, we propose a planar abelian dual of 3d SQCD with bosons and fermions.
Sara Pasquetti's presentation slides pdf, 4 MB.
10:45-11:45
Chris Hull
Monopoles, Dirac Strings and Generalised Symmetries
Dirac’s quantum theory of magnetic monopoles requires a Dirac string attached to each monopole, and it is important that the field equations do not depend on the positions of the Dirac strings, provided that they comply with the Dirac veto: they must not intersect the worldliness of electrically charged particles. This theory is revisited, and it is shown that it has generalised symmetries related to the freedom of moving the Dirac strings. The Dirac veto is interpreted as an anomaly and the possibility of cancelling the anomaly by embedding in a higher-dimensional theory will be discussed. This talk is based on arXiv:2411.18741.