arXiv research

Survey on advanced gauge theory concepts.

Higher gauge theory via differential nonabelian cohomology

In the first part of this paper, we work out a perturbative Lagrangian formulation of semistrict higher gauge theory, that avoids the subtleties of the relationship between Lie 2-groups and algebras by relying exclusively on the structure semistrict Lie 2-algebra v and its automorphism 2-group Aut(v). Gauge transformat…

Many physical theories, including notably string theory, require non-abelian higher gauge fields defining higher holonomy. Previous approaches to such higher connections on categorified principal bundles require these to be fake flat. This condition, however, renders them locally gauge equivalent to connections on abel…

This is the first of a series of two technical papers devoted to the analysis of holonomy invariants in strict higher gauge theory with end applications in higher Chern--Simons theory. For a flat 2--connection, we define the 2-holonomy of surface knots of arbitrary genus and determine its covariance properties under 1-…

Study of symmetries in 2D Yang-Mills theory, including orbifolds and higher forms.

We study the problem of finding good gauges for connections in higher gauge theories. We find that, for $2$-connections in strict $2$-gauge theory and $3$-connections in $3$-gauge theory, there are local "Coulomb gauges" that are more canonical than in classical gauge theory. In particular, they are essentially unique,…

Higher Gauge Flow Models integrate higher geometry and symmetries into Generative Flow Models.

In this technical paper, we present a new formulation of higher parallel transport in strict higher gauge theory required for the rigorous construction of Wilson lines and surfaces. Our approach is based on an original notion of Lie crossed module cocycle and cocycle 1- and 2-gauge transformation with a non standard do…

The notion of a higher bundle gerbe is introduced to give a geometric realization of the higher degree integral cohomology of certain manifolds. We consider examples using the infinite dimensional spaces arising in gauge theories.

New model calculates Wilson surfaces in higher gauge theory.

We develop a description of higher gauge theory with higher groupoids as gauge structure from first principles. This approach captures ordinary gauge theories and gauged sigma models as well as their categorifications on a very general class of (higher) spaces comprising presentable differentiable stacks, as e.g. orbif…

Bundle gerbes are a higher version of line bundles, we present nonabelian bundle gerbes as a higher version of principal bundles. Connection, curving, curvature and gauge transformations are studied both in a global coordinate independent formalism and in local coordinates. These are the gauge fields needed for the con…

Develops a new approach to describe gauge theories with background fields using presymplectic structures.

This is the second of a series of two technical papers devoted to the analysis of holonomy invariants in strict higher gauge theory with end applications in higher Chern--Simons theory. We provide a definition of trace over a crossed module such to yield surface knot invariants upon application to 2-holonomies. We show…

This article reviews $\infty$-bundles and their applications in geometry and physics.

We prove the non-abelian Poincare lemma in higher gauge theory in two different ways. The first method uses a result by Jacobowitz which states solvability conditions for differential equations of a certain type. The second method extends a proof by Voronov and yields the explicit gauge parameters connecting a flat loc…

Just as gauge theory describes the parallel transport of point particles using connections on bundles, higher gauge theory describes the parallel transport of 1-dimensional objects (e.g. strings) using 2-connections on 2-bundles. A 2-bundle is a categorified version of a bundle: that is, one where the fiber is not a ma…

We formulate differential cohomology and Chern-Weil theory -- the theory of connections on fiber bundles and of gauge fields -- abstractly in the context of a certain class of higher toposes that we call "cohesive". Cocycles in this differential cohomology classify higher principal bundles equipped with cohesive struct…

We review and elaborate on some aspects of the quantization of certain classes of higher abelian gauge theories using techniques of generalized differential cohomology. Particular emphasis is placed on the examples of generalized Maxwell theory and Cheeger-Simons cohomology, and of Ramond-Ramond fields in Type II super…

Analyzes quantization of flux observables in gauge theories.

This paper develops a geometric framework for Wilson surfaces in higher gauge theory.

We formulate a 4-dimensional higher gauge theoretic Chern-Simons theory. Its symmetry is encoded in a semistrict Lie 2-algebra equipped with an invariant non singular bilinear form. We analyze the gauge invariance of the theory and show that action is invariant under a higher gauge transformation up to a higher winding…

We explore 4d Yang-Mills gauge theories (YM) living as boundary conditions of 5d gapped short/long-range entangled (SRE/LRE) topological states. Specifically, we explore 4d time-reversal symmetric pure YM of an SU(2) gauge group with a second-Chern-class topological term at $θ=π$ (SU(2)$_{θ=π}$ YM), by turning on backg…

Paper introduces Tensor Gauge Flow Models for better data encoding.

Novel $A_{\infty}$-categories derived from gauge theories for manifold homologies.

This work extends Chern correspondence to higher gauge theory.

In this easy introduction to higher gauge theory, we describe parallel transport for particles and strings in terms of 2-connections on 2-bundles. Just as ordinary gauge theory involves a gauge group, this generalization involves a gauge '2-group'. We focus on 6 examples. First, every abelian Lie group gives a Lie 2-gr…

We give a complete and explicit description of the kinematical data of higher gauge theory on principal 2-bundles with the string 2-group model of Schommer-Pries as structure 2-group. We start with a self-contained review of the weak 2-category Bibun of Lie groupoids, bibundles and bibundle morphisms. We then construct…

This paper is motivated by recent developments of higher gauge theory. Different from its style of using higher category theory, we try to describe the concept of higher parallel transport within setting of classical principal bundle theory. From this perspective, we obtain a global geometric proof on a generalized 3-d…

A BV algebra is a formal framework within which the BV quantization algorithm is implemented. In addition to the gauge symmetry, encoded in the BV master equation, the master action often exhibits further global symmetries, which may be in turn gauged. We show how to carry this out in a BV algebraic set up. Depending o…

These are notes for four lectures on higher structures in M-theory as presented at workshops at the Erwin Schroedinger Institute and Tohoku University. The first lecture gives an overview of systems of multiple M5-branes and introduces the relevant mathematical structures underlying a local description of higher gauge …

We construct manifestly superconformal field theories in six dimensions which contain a non-Abelian tensor multiplet. In particular, we show how principal 3-bundles over a suitable twistor space encode solutions to these self-dual tensor field theories via a Penrose-Ward transform. The resulting higher or categorified …

Unified view of spectral networks linking geometry and gauge theory.

Groups $Π_k(X;σ)$ of "flagged homotopies" are introduced of which the usual (abelian for $k>1$) homotopy groups $π_k(X;p)$ is the limit case for flags $σ$ contracted to a point $p$. Calculus of exterior forms with values in algebra $A$ is developped of which the limit cases are differential forms calculus (for $A=\bb R…

Study of $U(1)$ gauge theories on $G_2$ manifolds, including instantons and Chern-Simons.

We consider dimensional reduction of gauge theories with arbitrary gauge group in a formalism based on equivariant principal bundles. For the classical gauge groups we clarify the relations between equivariant principal bundles and quiver bundles, and show that the reduced quiver gauge theories are all generically buil…

The worldvolume theory of coincident M5-branes is expected to contain a nonabelian 2-form/nonabelian gerbe gauge theory that is a higher analog of self-dual Yang-Mills theory. But the precise details -- in particular the global moduli / instanton / magnetic charge structure -- have remained elusive. Here we deduce from…

We enhance the action of higher abelian gauge theory associated to a gerbe on an M5-brane with an action of a torus ${\mathbb T}^n (n\ge 2)$, by a noncommutative ${\mathbb T}^n$-deformation of the M5-brane. The ingredients of the noncommutative action and equations of motion include the deformed Hodge duality, deformed…

Study quantum aspects of 1-form symmetries using BV-BRST cohomology and gerbes.

Machine learning knot invariants with physics applications.

The purpose of this contribution is to point out connections between recent ideas about gerbes and gerbal actions (as higher categorical extension of representation theory) and old discussion in quantum field theory on commutator anomalies, gauge group extensions, and 3-cocycles. The unifying concept is the classical o…

Method constructs 2-bundles over homogeneous spaces.

We study some graded geometric constructions appearing naturally in the context of gauge theories. Inspired by a known relation of gauging with equivariant cohomology we generalize the latter notion to the case of arbitrary Q-manifolds introducing thus the concept of equivariant Q-cohomology. Using this concept we desc…

Singular fiber resolution does not describe the spontaneous breaking of gauge symmetry in F-theory, as the corresponding branch of the moduli space does not exist in the theory. Accordingly, even non-abelian gauge theories have not been fully understood in global F-theory compactifications. We present a systematic disc…

We develop semistrict higher gauge theory from first principles. In particular, we describe the differential Deligne cohomology underlying semistrict principal 2-bundles with connective structures. Principal 2-bundles are obtained in terms of weak 2-functors from the Cech groupoid to weak Lie 2-groups. As is demonstrat…

We show that representations of the loop braid group arise from Aharonov-Bohm like effects in finite 2-group (3+1)-dimensional topological higher gauge theory. For this we introduce a minimal categorification of biracks, which we call W-bikoids (welded bikoids). Our main example of W-bikoids arises from finite 2-groups…

Study connections on Lie and Courant algebroids, defining basic curvature and Atiyah cocycle.