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Aldo Riello

Publications and source records attributed to Aldo Riello.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2025

Phase spaces in field theory: Reduction vs. resolution

In this note we review the concept of phase space in classical field theory, discussing several variations on the basic notion, as well as the relation between them. In particular we will focus on the case where the field theory admits local (gauge) symmetry, in which case the physical phase space of the system emerges after a (usually singular) quotient with respect to the action of the symmetry group. We will highlight the symplectic and Poisson underpinnings of the reduction procedure that defines a phase space, and discuss how one can replace quotients with graded smooth objects within classical field theory via cohomological resolutions, a practice that goes under the name of Batalin--Vilkovisky formalism. Special attention is placed on the reduction and resolution of gauge theories on manifolds with corners, which famously depend on a number of arbitrary choices. We phrase these choices in terms of homotopies for the variational bicomplex, and define a homotopy version of Noether's current and conservation theorem.

math-ph↗
arXiv2025

Beyond Noether: A Covariant Study of Poisson-Lie Symmetries in Low Dimensional Field Theory

We explore global Poisson-Lie (PL) symmetries using a Lagrangian, or "covariant phase space" approach, that manifestly preserves spacetime covariance. PL symmetries are the classical analog of quantum-group symmetries. In the Noetherian framework symmetries leave the Lagrangian invariant up to boundary terms and necessarily yield (on closed manifolds) $\mathfrak{g}^{*}$-valued conserved charges which serve as Hamiltonian generators of the symmetry itself. Non-trivial PL symmetries transcend this framework by failing to be symplectomorphisms and by admitting (conserved) non-Abelian group-valued momentum maps. In this paper we discuss various structural and conceptual challenges associated with the implementation of PL symmetries in field theory, focusing in particular on non-locality. We examine these issues through explicit examples of low-dimensional field theories with non-trivial PL symmetries: the deformed spinning top (or, the particle with curved momentum and configuration space) in 0+1D; the non-linear $\sigma$-model by Klim\v{c}\'ik and \v{S}evera (KS) in 1+1D; and gravity with a cosmological constant in 2+1D. Although these examples touch on systems of different dimensionality, they are all ultimately underpinned by 2D $\sigma$-models, specifically the A-model and KS model.

hep-th↗
arXiv2024

Renormalization of conformal infinity as a stretched horizon

In this paper, we provide a comprehensive study of asymptotically flat spacetime in even dimensions $d\geq 4$. We analyze the most general boundary condition and asymptotic symmetry compatible with Penrose's definition of asymptotic null infinity $\mathscr{I}$ through conformal compactification. Following Penrose's prescription and using a minimal version of the Bondi-Sachs gauge, we show that $\mathscr{I}$ is naturally equipped with a Carrollian stress tensor whose radial derivative defines the asymptotic Weyl tensor. This analysis describes asymptotic infinity as a stretched horizon in the conformally compactified spacetime. We establish that charge aspects conservation can be written as Carrollian Bianchi identities for the asymptotic Weyl tensor. We then provide a covariant renormalization for the asymptotic symplectic potential, which results in a finite symplectic flux and asymptotic charges. The renormalization scheme works even in the presence of logarithmic anomalies.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2024

Null Hamiltonian Yang-Mills theory: Soft symmetries and memory as superselection

Soft symmetries for Yang-Mills theory are shown to correspond to the residual Hamiltonian action of the gauge group on the Ashtekar-Streubel phase space, which is the result of a partial symplectic reduction. The associated momentum map is the electromagnetic memory in the abelian theory, or a nonlinear, gauge-equivariant, generalization thereof in the nonabelian case. This result follows from an application of Hamiltonian reduction by stages, enabled by the existence of a natural normal subgroup of the gauge group on a null codimension-1 submanifold with boundaries. The first stage is coisotropic reduction of the Gauss constraint, and it yields a symplectic extension of the Ashtekar-Streubel phase space (up to a covering). Hamiltonian reduction of the residual gauge action leads to the fully-reduced phase space of the theory. This is a Poisson manifold, whose symplectic leaves, called superselection sectors, are labelled by the (gauge classes of the generalized) electric flux across the boundary. In this framework, the Ashtekar-Streubel phase space arises as an intermediate reduction stage that enforces the superselection of the electric flux at only one of the two boundary components. These results provide a natural, purely Hamiltonian, explanation of the existence of soft symmetries as a byproduct of partial symplectic reduction, as well as a motivation for the expected decomposition of the quantum Hilbert space of states into irreducible representations labelled by the Casimirs of the Poisson structure on the reduced phase space.

math-ph↗
arXiv2022

Hamiltonian gauge theory with corners: constraint reduction and flux superselection

We study gauge theories on spacetime manifolds with a codimension-$1$ submanifold with boundary. We characterise the reduced phase space of the theory whenever it is described by a local momentum map for the action of the gauge group $\mathcal{G}$, by means of Fr\'echet reduction by stages. The momentum map decomposes into a bulk term called constraint map, defining a coisotropic constraint set, and a boundary term called flux map. In the first stage, constraint reduction, the constraint set is the zero of a momentum map for a normal subgroup $\mathcal{G}_\circ\subset\mathcal{G}$, called constraint gauge group. In the second stage, flux superselection, the flux map is the momentum map for the residual action of the flux gauge group $\underline{\mathcal{G}}\doteq\mathcal{G}/\mathcal{G}_\circ$, which also controls equivariance. The reduced phase space of the theory, when smooth, is then only a partial Poisson manifold $\underline{\underline{\mathcal{C}}}\simeq \underline{\mathcal{C}}/\underline{\mathcal{G}}$. Its symplectic leaves are called \emph{flux superselection sectors}, for they provide a classical analogue of, and a road map to, the phenomenon of quantum superselection. To corners, we further assign a symplectic Lie algebroid over a Poisson manifold, $\mathsf{A}_{\partial} \to \mathcal{P}_{\partial}$, and show how on-shell configurations $\mathcal{C}_{\partial}\subset\mathcal{P}_{\partial}$ are also Poisson. Both $\mathcal{C}_{\partial}$ and $\underline{\underline{\mathcal{C}}}$ fibrate over a common space of superselections, labeling the Casimirs of both Poisson structures. We showcase the formalism by explicitly working out the first and second stage reductions for a broad class of Yang--Mills theories, where $\underline{\underline{\mathcal{C}}}$ is found to be a Weinstein space, and discuss further applications to topological theories.

math-ph↗
arXiv2021

Symplectic reduction of Yang-Mills theory with boundaries: from superselection sectors to edge modes, and back

I develop a theory of symplectic reduction that applies to bounded regions in Yang-Mills theory and electromagnetism. In this theory gauge-covariant superselection sectors for the electric flux through the boundary of the region play a central role: within such sectors, there exists a natural, canonically defined, symplectic structure for the reduced Yang-Mills theory. This symplectic structure does not require the inclusion of any new degrees of freedom. In the non-Abelian case, it also supports a family of Hamiltonian vector fields, which I call "flux rotations," generated by smeared, Poisson-non-commutative, electric fluxes. Since the action of flux rotations affects the total energy of the system, I argue that flux rotations fail to be dynamical symmetries of Yang-Mills theory restricted to a region. I also consider the possibility of defining a symplectic structure on the union of all superselection sectors. This in turn requires including additional boundary degrees of freedom aka "edge modes." However, unless the new edge modes model a material physical system located at the boundary of the region, I argue that the phase space extension by edge modes is inherently ambiguous and gauge-breaking.

hep-th↗
arXiv2021

The quasilocal degrees of freedom of Yang-Mills theory

Gauge theories possess nonlocal features that, in the presence of boundaries, inevitably lead to subtleties. We employ geometric methods rooted in the functional geometry of the phase space of Yang-Mills theories to: (1) characterize a basis for quasilocal degrees of freedom (dof) that is manifestly gauge-covariant also at the boundary; (2) tame the non-additivity of the regional symplectic forms upon the gluing of regions; and to (3) discuss gauge and global charges in both Abelian and non-Abelian theories from a geometric perspective. Naturally, our analysis leads to splitting the Yang-Mills dof into Coulombic and radiative. Coulombic dof enter the Gauss constraint and are dependent on extra boundary data (the electric flux); radiative dof are unconstrained and independent. The inevitable non-locality of this split is identified as the source of the symplectic non-additivity, i.e. of the appearance of new dof upon the gluing of regions. Remarkably, these new dof are fully determined by the regional radiative dof only. Finally, a direct link is drawn between this split and Dirac's dressed electron.

hep-th↗
arXiv2021

Edge modes without edge modes

We discuss gauge theories of the Yang-Mills kind in finite regions with boundaries, and in particular the definition of the corresponding quasi-local degrees of freedom and their gluing upon composition of the underlying regions. Although the most of the technical results presented here has appeared in previous works by Gomes, Hopfmüller and the author, we adopt here a new perspective. Focusing on Maxwell theory as our model theory, in most of the text we avoid technical complications and focus on the conceptual issues related to symplectic reduction in finite and bounded regions, and to gluing$-$e.g. superselection sectors, non-locality, Dirac's dressing of charged fields, and edge modes. In this regard, the title refers to a gluing formula for the reduced symplectic structures, where the "edge mode" contribution is explicitly computed in terms of gauge-invariant bulk variables. Despite capturing most interesting features, the Abelian theory misses some crucial technical and conceptual points which are present in the non-Abelian case. To fill this gap, we dedicate the last section to a brief overview of functional connection forms, flux rotations, and geometric BRST, among other topics.

hep-th↗
arXiv2020

Large gauge transformations, gauge invariance, and the QCD $θ_{\text{YM}}$-term

The eliminative view of gauge degrees of freedom -- the view that they arise solely from descriptive redundancy and are therefore eliminable from the theory -- is a lively topic of debate in the philosophy of physics. Recent work attempts to leverage properties of the QCD $θ_{\text{YM}}$-term to provide a novel argument against the eliminative view. The argument is based on the claim that the QCD $θ_{\text{YM}}$-term changes under "large" gauge transformations. Here we review geometrical propositions about fiber bundles that unequivocally falsify these claims: the $θ_{\text{ YM}}$-term encodes topological features of the fiber bundle used to represent gauge degrees of freedom, but it is fully gauge-invariant. Nonetheless, within the essentially classical viewpoint pursued here, the physical role of the $θ_{\text{YM}}$-term shows the physical importance of bundle topology (or superpositions thereof) and thus weighs against (a naive) eliminativism.

physics.hist-ph↗
arXiv2020

Soft charges from the geometry of field space

Infinite sets of asymptotic soft-charges were recently shown to be related to new symmetries of the $S$-matrix, spurring a large amount of research on this and related questions. Notwithstanding, the raison-d'être of these soft-charges rests on less firm ground, insofar as their known derivations through generalized Noether procedures tend to rely on the fixing of (gauge-breaking) boundary conditions rather than on manifestly gauge-invariant computations. In this article, we show that a geometrical framework anchored in the space of field configurations singles out the known leading-order soft charges in gauge theories. Our framework unifies the treatment of finite and infinite regions, and thus it explains why the infinite enhancement of the symmetry group is a property of asymptotic null infinity and should not be expected to hold within finite regions, where at most a finite number of physical charges -- corresponding to the reducibility parameters of the quasi-local field configuration -- is singled out. As a bonus, our formalism also suggests a simple proposal for the origin of magnetic-type charges at asymptotic infinity based on spacetime (Lorentz) covariance rather than electromagnetic duality.

hep-th↗
arXiv2019

Non-Perturbative 3D Quantum Gravity: Quantum Boundary States and Exact Partition Function

We push forward the investigation of holographic dualities in 3D quantum gravity formulated as a topological quantum field theory, studying the correspondence between boundary and bulk structures. Working with the Ponzano-Regge topological state-sum model defining an exact discretization of 3d quantum gravity, we analyze how the partition function for a solid twisted torus depends on the boundary quantum state. This configuration is relevant to the AdS${}_{3}$/CFT${}_{2}$ correspondence. We introduce boundary spin network states with coherent superposition of spins on a square lattice on the boundary surface. This allows for the first exact analytical calculation of Ponzano-Regge amplitudes with extended 2D boundary (beyond the single tetrahedron). We get a regularized finite truncation of the BMS character formula obtained from the one-loop perturbative quantization of 3D gravity. This hints towards the existence of an underlying symmetry and the integrability of the theory for finite boundary at the quantum level for coherent boundary spin network states.

hep-th↗
arXiv2019

Notes on a few quasilocal properties of Yang-Mills theory

Gauge theories possess non-local features that, in the presence of boundaries, inevitably lead to subtleties. In this article, we continue our study of a unified solution based on a geometric tool operating on field-space: a connection form. We specialize to the $D+1$ formulation of Yang-Mills theories on configuration space, and we precisely characterize the gluing of the Yang-Mills field across regions. In the $D+1$ formalism, the connection-form splits the electric degrees of freedom into their pure-radiative and Coulombic components, rendering the latter as conjugate to the pure-gauge part of the gauge potential. Regarding gluing, we obtain a characterization for topologically simple regions through closed formulas. These formulas exploit the properties of a generalized Dirichlet-to-Neumann operator defined at the gluing surface; through them, we find only the radiative components and the local charges are relevant for gluing. Finally, we study the gluing into topologically non-trivial regions in 1+1 dimensions. We find that in this case, the regional radiative modes do not fully determine the global radiative mode (Aharonov-Bohm phases). For the global mode takes a new contribution from the kernel of the gluing formula, a kernel which is associated to non-trivial cohomological cycles. In no circumstances do we find a need for postulating new local degrees of freedom at boundaries. $\text{The partial results of these notes have been completed and substantially clarified in a more recent, comprehensive article from October 2019. (titled: "The quasilocal degrees of freedom of Yang-Mills theory").}$

hep-th↗
arXiv2019

Asymptotic Renormalization in Flat Space: Symplectic Potential and Charges of Electromagnetism

We present a systematic procedure to renormalize the symplectic potential of the electromagnetic field at null infinity in Minkowski space. We work in $D\geq6$ spacetime dimensions as a toy model of General Relativity in $D\geq4$ dimensions. Total variation counterterms as well as corner counterterms are both subtracted from the symplectic potential to make it finite. These counterterms affect respectively the action functional and the Hamiltonian symmetry generators. The counterterms are local and universal. We analyze the asymptotic equations of motion and identify the free data associated with the renormalized canonical structure along a null characteristic. This allows the construction of the asymptotic renormalized charges whose Ward identity gives the QED soft theorem, supporting the physical viability of the renormalization procedure. We touch upon how to extend our analysis to the presence of logarithmic anomalies and upon how our procedure compares to holographic renormalization.

hep-th↗
arXiv2019

Quantum geometry from higher gauge theory

Higher gauge theories play a prominent role in the construction of 4d topological invariants and have been long ago proposed as a tool for 4d quantum gravity. The Yetter lattice model and its continuum counterpart, the BFCG theory, generalize BF theory to 2-gauge groups and -- when specialized to 4d and the Poincaré 2-group -- they provide an exactly solvable topologically-flat version of 4d general relativity. The 2-Poincaré Yetter model was conjectured to be equivalent to a state sum model of quantum flat spacetime developed by Baratin and Freidel after work by Korepanov (KBF model). This conjecture was motivated by the origin of the KBF model in the theory of 2-representations of the Poincaré 2-group. Its proof, however, has remained elusive due to the lack of a generalized Peter-Weyl theorem for 2-groups. In this work we prove this conjecture. Our proof avoids the Peter-Weyl theorem and rather leverages the geometrical content of the Yetter model. Key for the proof is the introduction of a kinematical boundary Hilbert space on which 1- and 2-Lorentz invariance is imposed. Geometrically this allows the identification of (quantum) tetrad variables and of the associated (quantum) Levi-Civita connection. States in this Hilbert space are labelled by quantum numbers that match the 2-group representation labels. Our results open exciting opportunities for the construction of new representations of quantum geometries. Compared to loop quantum gravity, the higher gauge theory framework provides a quantum representation of the ADM-Regge initial data, including an identification of the intrinsic and extrinsic curvature. Furthermore, it leads to a version of the diffeomorphism and Hamiltonian constraints that acts on the vertices of the discretization, thus providing a prospect for a quantum realization of the hypersurface deformation algebra in 4d.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2019

A unified geometric framework for boundary charges and dressings: non-Abelian theory and matter

Boundaries in gauge theories are a delicate issue. Arbitrary boundary choices enter the calculation of charges via Noether's second theorem, obstructing the assignment of unambiguous physical charges to local gauge symmetries. Replacing the arbitrary boundary choice with new degrees of freedom suggests itself. But, concretely, such boundary degrees of freedom are spurious---i.e. they are not part of the original field content of the theory---and have to disappear upon gluing. How should we fit them into what we know about field-theory? We resolve these issues in a unified and geometric manner, by introducing a connection 1-form, $\varpi$, in the field-space of Yang-Mills theory. Using this geometric tool, a modified version of symplectic geometry---here called `horizontal'---is possible. Independently of boundary conditions, this formalism bestows to each region a physical notion of charge: the horizontal Noether charge. The horizontal gauge charges always vanish, while global charges still arise for reducible configurations characterized by global symmetries. The field-content itself is used as a reference frame to distinguish `gauge' and `physical'; no new degrees of freedom, such as group-valued edge modes, are required. Different choices of reference fields give different $\varpi$'s, which are cousins of gauge-fixing like the Higgs-unitary and Coulomb gauges. But the formalism extends well beyond gauge-fixings, for instance by avoiding the Gribov problem. For one choice of $\varpi$, would-be Goldstone modes arising from the condensation of matter degrees of freedom play precisely the role of the known group-valued edge modes, but here they arise as preferred coordinates in field space, rather than new fields. For another choice, in the Abelian case, $\varpi$ recovers the Dirac dressing of the electron.

hep-th↗
arXiv2018

Quasi-local holographic dualities in non-perturbative 3d quantum gravity

We present a line of research aimed at investigating holographic dualities in the context of three dimensional quantum gravity within finite bounded regions. The bulk quantum geometrodynamics is provided by the Ponzano-Regge state-sum model, which defines 3d quantum gravity as a discrete topological quantum field theory (TQFT). This formulation provides an explicit and detailed definition of the quantum boundary states, which allows a rich correspondence between quantum boundary conditions and boundary theories, thereby leading to holographic dualities between 3d quantum gravity and 2d statistical models as used in condensed matter. After presenting the general framework, we focus on the concrete example of the coherent twisted torus boundary, which allows for a direct comparison with other approaches to 3d/2d holography at asymptotic infinity. We conclude with the most interesting questions to pursue in this framework.

hep-th↗
arXiv2018

Quantum edge modes in 3d gravity and 2+1d topological phases of matter

We analyze the edge mode structure of Euclidean three dimensional gravity from within the quantum theory as embodied by a Ponzano-Regge-Turaev-Viro discrete state sum with Gibbons-=-Hawking-York boundary conditions. This structure is encoded in a pair of dual statistical models of the vertex and face kind, which for specific choices of boundary conditions turn out to be integrable. The duality is just the manifestation of a pervasive dual structure which manifests at different levels of the classical and quantum theories. Emphasis will be put on the geometrical interpretation of the edge modes which leads in particular to the identification of the quantum analogue of Carlip's would-be normal diffeomorphisms. We also provide a reinterpretation of our construction in terms of a non-Abelian 2+1 topological phase with electric boundary conditions.

hep-th↗