arXiv research

We explore homotopies in quantum field theory formalism.

Given a discrete group G and a spherical G-fusion category whose neutral component has invertible dimension, we use the state-sum method to construct a 3-dimensional Homotopy Quantum Field Theory (HQFT) with target the Eilenberg-MacLane space K(G,1).

This thesis is concerned with the application of operadic methods, particularly modular operads, to questions arising in the study of moduli spaces of surfaces as well as applications to the study of homotopy algebras and new constructions of 'quantum invariants' of manifolds inspired by ideas originating from physics.…

3D HQFTs constructed using graded monoidal categories.

Homotopy Quantum Field Theories (HQFTs) generalize more familiar Topological Quantum Field Theories (TQFTs). In generalization of the surgery construction of 3-dimensional TQFTs from modular categories, we use surgery to derive 3-dimensional HQFTs from G-modular categories.

Graph potentials link to topological QFTs, with computational methods.

We define a model for the homology of manifolds and use it to describe the intersection product on the homology of compact oriented manifolds and to define homological quantum field theories which generalizes the notions of string topology introduced by Chas and Sullivan and homotopy quantum field theories introduced b…

Higher gauge theory via differential nonabelian cohomology

We study a variation of Turaev's homotopy quantum field theories using 2-categories of surfaces. We define the homotopy surface 2-category of a space $X$ and define an $\cS_X$-structure to be a monoidal 2-functor from this to the 2-category of idempotent-complete additive $k$-linear categories. We initiate the study of…

A 3-dimensional homotopy quantum field theory (HQFT) can be described as a TQFT for surfaces and 3-cobordisms endowed with homotopy classes of maps into a given space. For a group $π$, we introduce a notion of a modular crossed $π$-category and show that such a category gives rise to a 3-dimensional HQFT with target sp…

In this paper, we discuss two topics: first, we show how to convert 1+1-topological quantum field theories valued in symmetric bimonoidal categories into stable homotopical data, using a machinery by Elmendorf and Mandell. Then, we discuss, in this framework, two recent results (independent of each other) on refinement…

The Jones-Wenzl projectors play a central role in quantum topology, underlying the construction of SU(2) topological quantum field theories and quantum spin networks. We construct chain complexes whose graded Euler characteristic is the "classical" projector in the Temperley-Lieb algebra. We show that they are homotopy…

Given a family of Dirac operators with vanishing spectral flow we construct a thin-invariant rank-one field theory in the sense of Turner and Willerton arXiv:math.AT/0201116. Our construction of the field theory generalizes the one of the index gerbe by Lott, arXiv:math.DG/0106177, and it also complements the relation …

Overview of 3D TQFTs and 3-manifold invariants.

Motivated by the study of the interrelation between functorial and algebraic quantum field theory, we point out that on any locally trivial bundle of compact groups, representations up to homotopy are enough to separate points by means of the associated representations in cohomol- ogy. Furthermore, we observe that the …

Let G be a discrete group and C be an additive spherical G-fusion category. We prove that the state sum 3-dimensional HQFT derived from C is isomorphic to the surgery 3-dimensional HQFT derived from the G-center of C.

We introduce and study algebraic structures underlying 2-dimensional Homotopy Quantum Field Theories (HQFTs) with arbitrary target spaces. These algebraic structures are formalized in the notion of a twisted Frobenius algebra. Our work generalizes results of Brightwell, Turner, and the second author on 2-dimensional HQ…

Two link diagrams on compact surfaces are strongly equivalent if they are related by Reidemeister moves and orientation preserving homeomorphisms of the surfaces. They are stably equivalent if they are related by the two previous operations and adding or removing handles. Turaev and Turner constructed a link homology f…

We introduce the notion of a relative spherical category. We prove that such a category gives rise to the generalized Kashaev and Turaev-Viro-type 3-manifold invariants defined in arXiv:1008.3103 and arXiv:0910.1624, respectively. In this case we show that these invariants are equal and extend to what we call a relativ…

Constructs combinatorial 2D topological field theories from cyclic A-infinity algebras.

Quantum field theory uses Lorentzian bordisms to describe time evolution.

Study classifies moduli spaces of spin connections on 3D homogeneous spaces.

Introduces a new geometric framework for field theories.

New model calculates Wilson surfaces in higher gauge theory.

We construct a stable homotopy refinement of quantum annular homology, a link homology theory introduced by Beliakova, Putyra and Wehrli. For each $r\geq 2$ we associate to an annular link $L$ a naive $\mathbb{Z}/r\mathbb{Z}$-equivariant spectrum whose cohomology is isomorphic to the quantum annular homology of $L$ as …

For a group G, the notion of a ribbon G-category was introduced by the second author in a previous work with a view towards constructing 3-dimensional homotopy quantum field theories (HQFT's) with target K(G,1). We discuss here how to derive ribbon G-categories from a simple complex Lie algebra g where G is the center …

These notes were inspired by the course ''Quantum Field Theory from a Functional Integral Point of View'' given at the University of Zurich in Spring 2017 by Santosh Kandel. We describe Feynman's path integral approach to quantum mechanics and quantum field theory from a functional integral point of view, where the mai…

Cone structures in quantum field theory linked to information geometry.

Using technique of wheeled props we establish a correspondence between the homotopy theory of unimodular Lie 1-bialgebras and the famous Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism. Solutions of the so called quantum master equation satisfying certain boundary conditions are proven to be in 1-1 correspondence with representations of …

The paper develops a theory linking Hamiltonian and quasi-Hamiltonian manifolds.

Introduces noncommutative geometry for modeling quantum spacetime.

Quantum field theory connects Riemannian geometry to quantum fluctuations.

We give a construction of the abelian Chern-Simons gauge theory from the point of view of a 2+1 dimensional topological quantum field theory. The definition of the quantum theory relies on geometric quantization ideas which have been previously explored in connection to the nonabelian Chern-Simons theory [JW,ADW]. We f…

The paper explores mapping class groups and their quantum field theory representations.

In a recent formulation of a quantum field theory of forward rates, the volatility of the forward rates was taken to be deterministic. The field theory of the forward rates is generalized to the case of stochastic volatility. Two cases are analyzed, firstly when volatility is taken to be a function of the forward rates…

Renormalization in neural networks linked to quantum field theory.

We construct a global geometric model for complex analytic equivariant elliptic cohomology for all compact Lie groups. Cocycles are specified by functions on the space of fields of the two-dimensional sigma model with background gauge fields and $\mathcal{N} = (0, 1)$ supersymmetry. We also consider a theory of free fe…

We construct bosonic and fermionic locally covariant quantum field theories on curved backgrounds for large classes of fields. We investigate the quantum field and n-point functions induced by suitable states.

Derives localization formulas in Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism.

We construct a simple finite-dimensional topological quantum field theory for compact 3-manifolds with triangulated boundary.

Algebra Situs is a branch of mathematics which has its roots in Jones' construction of his polynomial invariant of links and Drinfeld's work on quantum groups. It encompasses the theory of quantum invariants of knots and 3-manifolds, algebraic topology based on knots, operads, planar algebras, q-deformations, quantum g…

In this article we prove that any unitary, axiomatic topological quantum field theory in four-dimensions can not detect changes in the smooth structure of M, a simply connected, closed (compact without boundary), oriented smooth manifold. However, as Donaldson-Witten theory (a topological quantum field theory but not a…

A quantum field theory for Spin(7)-instantons derived from moduli spaces.

Unified classification of equivariant principal bundles using higher homotopy theory.

We develop a general framework for the quantization of bosonic and fermionic field theories on affine bundles over arbitrary globally hyperbolic spacetimes. All concepts and results are formulated using the language of category theory, which allows us to prove that these models satisfy the principle of general local co…

This paper investigates the relationship between algebraic quantum field theories and factorization algebras on globally hyperbolic Lorentzian manifolds. Functorial constructions that map between these two types of theories in both directions are developed under certain natural hypotheses, including suitable variants o…

We investigate link homology theories for stable equivalence classes of link diagrams on orientable surfaces. We apply (1+1)-dimensional unoriented topological quantum field theories to Bar-Natan's geometric formalism to define new theories for stable equivalence classes.

In this paper we analyze supergeometric locally covariant quantum field theories. We develop suitable categories SLoc of super-Cartan supermanifolds, which generalize Lorentz manifolds in ordinary quantum field theory, and show that, starting from a few representation theoretic and geometric data, one can construct a f…