arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Alexander Schenkel.
This paper constructs in the framework of algebraic quantum field theory (AQFT) the linear Chern-Simons/Wess-Zumino-Witten system on a class of $3$-manifolds $M$ whose boundary $\partial M$ is endowed with a Lorentzian metric. It is proven that this AQFT is equivalent to a dimensionally reduced AQFT on a $2$-dimensional manifold $B$, whose restriction to the $1$-dimensional boundary $\partial B$ is weakly equivalent to a chiral free boson.
This chapter provides a non-technical overview and motivation for the recent interactions between algebraic quantum field theory (AQFT) and rather abstract mathematical disciplines such as operads, model categories and higher categories.
It is proven that the homotopy time-slice axiom for many types of algebraic quantum field theories (AQFTs) taking values in chain complexes can be strictified. This includes the cases of Haag-Kastler-type AQFTs on a fixed globally hyperbolic Lorentzian manifold (with or without time-like boundary), locally covariant conformal AQFTs in two spacetime dimensions, locally covariant AQFTs in one spacetime dimension, and the relative Cauchy evolution. The strictification theorems established in this paper prove that, under suitable hypotheses that hold true for the examples listed above, there exists a Quillen equivalence between the model category of AQFTs satisfying the homotopy time-slice axiom and the model category of AQFTs satisfying the usual strict time-slice axiom.
This paper provides a systematic study of gauge symmetries in the dynamical fuzzy spectral triple models for quantum gravity that have been proposed by Barrett and collaborators. We develop both the classical and the perturbative quantum BV formalism for these models, which in particular leads to an explicit homological construction of the perturbative quantum correlation functions. We show that the relevance of ghost and antifield contributions to such correlation functions depends strongly on the background Dirac operator $D_0$ around which one perturbs, and in particular on the amount of gauge symmetry that it breaks. This will be illustrated by studying quantum perturbations around 1.) the gauge-invariant zero Dirac operator $D_0=0$ in a general $(p,q)$-model, and 2.) a simple example of a non-trivial $D_0$ in the quartic $(0,1)$-model.
A simple model for the localization of the category $\mathbf{CLoc}_2$ of oriented and time-oriented globally hyperbolic conformal Lorentzian $2$-manifolds at all Cauchy morphisms is constructed. This provides an equivalent description of $2$-dimensional conformal algebraic quantum field theories (AQFTs) satisfying the time-slice axiom in terms of only two algebras, one for the $2$-dimensional Minkowski spacetime and one for the flat cylinder, together with a suitable action of two copies of the orientation preserving embeddings of oriented $1$-manifolds. The latter result is used to construct adjunctions between the categories of $2$-dimensional and chiral conformal AQFTs whose right adjoints formalize and generalize Rehren's chiral observables.
This paper develops a concept of relative Cauchy evolution for the class of homotopy algebraic quantum field theories (AQFTs) that are obtained by canonical commutation relation quantization of Poisson chain complexes. The key element of the construction is a rectification theorem proving that the homotopy time-slice axiom, which is a higher categorical relaxation of the time-slice axiom of AQFT, can be strictified for theories in this class. The general concept is illustrated through a detailed study of the relative Cauchy evolution for the homotopy AQFT associated with linear Yang-Mills theory, for which the usual stress-energy tensor is recovered.
This paper provides a detailed study of $4$-dimensional Chern-Simons theory on $\mathbb{R}^2 \times \mathbb{C}P^1$ for an arbitrary meromorphic $1$-form $ω$ on $\mathbb{C}P^1$. Using techniques from homotopy theory, the behaviour under finite gauge transformations of a suitably regularised version of the action proposed by Costello and Yamazaki is investigated. Its gauge invariance is related to boundary conditions on the surface defects located at the poles of $ω$ that are determined by isotropic Lie subalgebras of a certain defect Lie algebra. The groupoid of fields satisfying such a boundary condition is proved to be equivalent to a groupoid that implements the boundary condition through a homotopy pullback, leading to the appearance of edge modes. The latter perspective is used to clarify how integrable field theories arise from $4$-dimensional Chern-Simons theory.
We apply the modern Batalin-Vilkovisky quantization techniques of Costello and Gwilliam to noncommutative field theories in the finite-dimensional case of fuzzy spaces. We further develop a generalization of this framework to theories that are equivariant under a triangular Hopf algebra symmetry, which in particular leads to quantizations of finite-dimensional analogs of the field theories proposed recently through the notion of `braided $L_\infty$-algebras'. The techniques are illustrated by computing perturbative correlation functions for scalar and Chern-Simons theories on the fuzzy $2$-sphere, as well as for braided scalar field theories on the fuzzy $2$-torus.
This paper proposes a refinement of the usual concept of algebraic quantum field theories (AQFTs) to theories that are smooth in the sense that they assign to every smooth family of spacetimes a smooth family of observable algebras. Using stacks of categories, this proposal is realized concretely for the simplest case of 1-dimensional spacetimes, leading to a stack of smooth 1-dimensional AQFTs. Concrete examples of smooth AQFTs, of smooth families of smooth AQFTs and of equivariant smooth AQFTs are constructed. The main open problems that arise in upgrading this approach to higher dimensions and gauge theories are identified and discussed.
We study the derived critical locus of a function $f:[X/G]\to \mathbb{A}_{\mathbb{K}}^1$ on the quotient stack of a smooth affine scheme $X$ by the action of a smooth affine group scheme $G$. It is shown that $\mathrm{dCrit}(f) \simeq [Z/G]$ is a derived quotient stack for a derived affine scheme $Z$, whose dg-algebra of functions is described explicitly. Our results generalize the classical BV formalism in finite dimensions from Lie algebra to group actions.
This paper develops a concept of 2-categorical algebraic quantum field theories (2AQFTs) that assign locally presentable linear categories to spacetimes. It is proven that ordinary AQFTs embed as a coreflective full 2-subcategory into the 2-category of 2AQFTs. Examples of 2AQFTs that do not come from ordinary AQFTs via this embedding are constructed by a local gauging construction for finite groups, which admits a physical interpretation in terms of orbifold theories. A categorification of Fredenhagen's universal algebra is developed and also computed for simple examples of 2AQFTs.
This paper studies geometric structures on noncommutative hypersurfaces within a module-theoretic approach to noncommutative Riemannian (spin) geometry. A construction to induce differential, Riemannian and spinorial structures from a noncommutative embedding space to a noncommutative hypersurface is developed and applied to obtain noncommutative hypersurface Dirac operators. The general construction is illustrated by studying the sequence $\mathbb{T}^{2}_θ \hookrightarrow \mathbb{S}^{3}_θ \hookrightarrow \mathbb{R}^{4}_θ$ of noncommutative hypersurface embeddings.
The $θ$-deformed Hopf fibration $\mathbb{S}^3_θ\to \mathbb{S}^2$ over the commutative $2$-sphere is compared with its classical counterpart. It is shown that there exists a natural isomorphism between the corresponding associated module functors and that the affine spaces of classical and deformed connections are isomorphic. The latter isomorphism is equivariant under an appropriate notion of infinitesimal gauge transformations in these contexts. Gauge transformations and connections on associated modules are studied and are shown to be sensitive to the deformation parameter. A homotopy theoretic explanation for the existence of a close relationship between the classical and deformed Hopf fibrations is proposed.
We provide an elegant homological construction of the extended phase space for linear Yang-Mills theory on an oriented and time-oriented Lorentzian manifold $M$ with a time-like boundary $\partial M$ that was proposed by Donnelly and Freidel [JHEP 1609, 102 (2016)]. This explains and formalizes many of the rather ad hoc constructions for edge modes appearing in the theoretical physics literature. Our construction also applies to linear Chern-Simons theory, in which case we obtain the extended phase space introduced by Geiller [Nucl. Phys. B 924, 312 (2017)].
We construct a colored operad whose category of algebras is the category of algebraic quantum field theories. This is achieved by a construction that depends on the choice of a category, whose objects provide the operad colors, equipped with an additional structure that we call an orthogonality relation. This allows us to describe different types of quantum field theories, including theories on a fixed Lorentzian manifold, locally covariant theories and also chiral conformal and Euclidean theories. Moreover, because the colored operad depends functorially on the orthogonal category, we obtain adjunctions between categories of different types of quantum field theories. These include novel and interesting constructions, such as time-slicification and local-to-global extensions of quantum field theories. We compare the latter to Fredenhagen's universal algebra.
It is observed that the shifted Poisson structure (antibracket) on the solution complex of Klein-Gordon and linear Yang-Mills theory on globally hyperbolic Lorentzian manifolds admits retarded/advanced trivializations (analogs of retarded/advanced Green's operators). Quantization of the associated unshifted Poisson structure determines a unique (up to equivalence) homotopy algebraic quantum field theory (AQFT), i.e. a functor that assigns differential graded $\ast$-algebras of observables and fulfills homotopical analogs of the AQFT axioms. For Klein-Gordon theory the construction is equivalent to the standard one, while for linear Yang-Mills it is richer and reproduces the BRST/BV field content (gauge fields, ghosts and antifields).
By adapting the Cheeger-Simons approach to differential cohomology, we establish a notion of differential cohomology with compact support. We show that it is functorial with respect to open embeddings and that it fits into a natural diagram of exact sequences which compare it to compactly supported singular cohomology and differential forms with compact support, in full analogy to ordinary differential cohomology. We prove an excision theorem for differential cohomology using a suitable relative version. Furthermore, we use our model to give an independent proof of Pontryagin duality for differential cohomology recovering a result of [Harvey, Lawson, Zweck - Amer. J. Math. 125 (2003) 791]: On any oriented manifold, ordinary differential cohomology is isomorphic to the smooth Pontryagin dual of compactly supported differential cohomology. For manifolds of finite-type, a similar result is obtained interchanging ordinary with compactly supported differential cohomology.
We generalize the operadic approach to algebraic quantum field theory [arXiv:1709.08657] to a broader class of field theories whose observables on a spacetime are algebras over any single-colored operad. A novel feature of our framework is that it gives rise to adjunctions between different types of field theories. As an interesting example, we study an adjunction whose left adjoint describes the quantization of linear field theories. We also analyze homotopical properties of the linear quantization adjunction for chain complex valued field theories, which leads to a homotopically meaningful quantization prescription for linear gauge theories.