arXiv subjects

Lukas Müller

Publications and source records attributed to Lukas Müller.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Stacking faults from a different angle - Overcoming the edge-on limit in high-resolution defect analysis

The nature of stacking faults (SF) - whether intrinsic or extrinsic - plays a pivotal role in defect-mediated processes in crystalline materials. Yet, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques for their reliable analysis remain limited to either conventional fringe-contrast imaging of inclined faults or atomic-resolution imaging of edge-on configurations. Here, we overcome this long-standing geometric constraint by introducing a high-resolution scanning TEM method that enables full structural discrimination of inclined SFs, as demonstrated in fcc, $L1_2$, and sphalerite crystals. This approach complements edge-on analysis and provides access to SFs on all glide planes along commonly utilized zone axes. We demonstrate the method's robustness in a CoNi-based superalloy by discriminating fault types even in overlapping configurations and for foil thicknesses exceeding 100 nm, and extend its application to analyzing bounding partial dislocations in inclined geometries to reveal the fault formation mechanism. Probe propagation simulations reveal that fault-induced de-channeling is key to contrast formation and is strongly governed by the fault's depth within the sample. Leveraging this effect, we further establish a route to artificially generate ultrathin TEM lamellae - bounded by the SF itself - enhancing contrast for atomic-scale studies of long-range ordering and compositional fluctuations.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Modular Functors with Singularities from Vertex Operator Algebras Beyond Rigidity and Finiteness

For a vertex operator algebra $V$ and a suitable category of its modules, we propose a construction for spaces of conformal blocks organized into an open-closed modular functor with singularities. This is inspired by the idea of implementing directly from the start the principle of holomorphic factorization. More precisely, using the strategy of modular extension introduced by Costello and developed further in our previous work, we build for each surface $Σ$ with at least one boundary component per path component and specified boundary labels attached to marked intervals or boundary circles a representation $Ω_V(Σ;-)$ of the mapping class group of $Σ$. The construction can be described explicitly on generating Dehn twists. This approach is a priori independent from other constructions based on algebraic geometry or topological techniques involving e.g. surgery, but we include an overview over the available comparisons. In the special case in which the module category of $V$ is a not necessarily semisimple modular category $\mathcal{A}$, the spaces $Ω_V(Σ)$ are equivalent to the string-net spaces for $\mathcal{A}$ and hence to the modular functor for the Drinfeld center $Z(\mathcal{A})\simeq \bar{\mathcal{A}}\boxtimes\mathcal{A}$. However, the construction of $Ω_V$ in this paper has the advantage of being available beyond rationality, rigidity, self-contragredience and finiteness. Moreover, we prove that $Ω_V$ satisfies excision, is finite-dimensional in the $C_2$-cofinite case and produces representations of surface braid groups generalizing the ones of Brochier-Jordan. We prove for the triplet $\mathcal{W}_{2,3}$ with non-exact fusion product that the boundary conditions introduced by Gaberdiel-Runkel-Wood produce correlation functions, provided that one uses the notion of a modular functor with singularities that we develop.

math.QA↗

arXiv2026

Topological defects in reflection positive topological field theories

Topological defects in quantum field theories are believed to assemble into higher categories with extra structure. This has been made precise for defects in $2$- and $3$-dimensional oriented topological quantum field theories by Davydov, Kong, and Runkel and by Carqueville, Meusburger, and Schaumann, respectively. In this paper we study the extra structure present on these categories when the topological field theory is additionally reflection positive. We define reflection defect TQFTs as symmetric monoidal functors out of a defect bordism category that intertwine orientation reversal with complex conjugation; they are reflection positive if they satisfy an additional positivity condition. Our main result is that in two dimensions the bicategory of defects $\mathcal{T}_\mathcal{Z}$ associated to a reflection defect TQFT carries the natural structure of an $O(2)$-dagger bicategory, a structure we define explicitly. If the theory is reflection positive, $\mathcal{T}_\mathcal{Z}$ can be equipped with additional structure closely related to the definition of a 3-Hilbert space (the two agree up to some finiteness and completeness conditions).

math-ph↗

arXiv2026

The many faces of higher Hilbert spaces

Finite-dimensional operator algebras can be viewed as $\mathrm{C}^*$, $\mathrm{W}^*$, or $\mathrm{H}^*$-algebras, leading to different notions for their categories of modules and correspondence 2-categories. In this article, we show how these differences can be understood systematically using the notion of $G$-dagger category from arXiv:2403.01651 for different subgroups $G\leq O(2)$. To do so, we first introduce $G$-Hermitian $2$-vector spaces using fixed points of a certain $O(2)$-action on $2\mathsf{Vect}$. We then propose criteria for when such pairings are `positive', generalizing the passage from Hermitian vector spaces to Hilbert spaces. Finally, we outline an inductive approach to defining higher Hilbert spaces in arbitrary dimension, suggesting an extension of these ideas beyond the 2-categorical setting.

math.QA↗

arXiv2026

Symmetries and Higher-Form Connections in Derived Differential Geometry

We introduce a general definition of higher-form connections on principal $\infty$-bundles in differential geometry. This is achieved by developing the formal differentiation and integration of maps from smooth manifolds to derived stacks with sufficient deformation theory. That allows us to introduce the Atiyah $L_\infty$-algebroid of a principal $\infty$-bundle and establish its global sections as the $L_\infty$-algebra of the derived higher symmetry group of the bundle. We define the space of $p$-form connections on an $\infty$-bundle as the space of order $p$ splittings of its Atiyah $L_\infty$-algebroid. This can be cast equivalently as lifting the classifying map of a bundle on a manifold to the order $p$ truncation of the de Rham stack of the manifold. We demonstrate that our new concept of derived geometric $p$-form connections recovers the known notion of connections on higher U(1)-bundles defined via Čech-Deligne differential cocycles. We further relate the $L_\infty$-algebras of derived higher symmetries of higher U(1)-bundles and higher Courant algebroids. Some applications in higher gauge theory and in supergravity are mentioned.

math.DG↗

arXiv2026

Deformation Quantization via Categorical Factorization Homology

This paper develops an approach to categorical deformation quantization via factorization homology. We show that a quantization of the local coefficients for factorization homology is equivalent to consistent quantizations of its value on manifolds. To formulate our results we introduce the concepts of shifted almost Poisson and BD categories. Our main example is the character stack of flat principal bundles for a reductive algebraic group $G$, where we show that applying the general framework to the Drinfeld category reproduces deformations previously introduced by Li-Bland and Ševera. As a direct consequence, we can conclude a precise relation between their quantization and those introduced by Alekseev, Grosse, and Schomerus. To arrive at our results we compute factorization homology with values in a ribbon category enriched over complete $\mathbb{C}[[\hbar]]$-modules. More generally, we define enriched skein categories which compute factorization homology for ribbon categories enriched over a general closed symmetric monoidal category $\mathcal{V}$.

math.QA↗

arXiv2026

Quantum Simulation-Based Optimization for Cooling System Design

Engineering design processes involve iterative design evaluations requiring numerous computationally intensive numerical simulations. Quantum algorithms promise substantial speedups for specific tasks relevant to engineering simulations. However, these advantages quickly vanish when considering data input and output on quantum computers. The recently introduced Quantum Simulation-Based Optimization (QuSO) framework circumvents this limitation by treating simulations as subproblems within a larger optimization problem. Here we adapt and implement QuSO for a simplified cooling system design problem, validate correctness in statevector simulations, and present a detailed gate-level complexity analysis for a single QuSO iteration. We express the scaling in terms of problem parameters and QAOA depth and iterations. We show that the cost function can be coherently computed over a superposition of exponentially many configurations using circuits of polynomial complexity. This does not yield a speedup for a single simulation instance, but it enables potential advantages arising from the subsequent QAOA-based search over configurations. The study serves as a proof-of-concept for integrating fault-tolerant quantum subroutines with simulation-based optimization in engineering workflows, clarifying both promise and practical limitations.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

The Dehn Twist Action for Quantum Representations of Mapping Class Groups

We calculate the Dehn twist action on the spaces of conformal blocks of a not necessarily semisimple modular category. In particular, we give the order of the Dehn twists under the mapping class group representations of closed surfaces. For Dehn twists about non-separating simple closed curves, we prove that this order is the order of the ribbon twist, thereby generalizing a result that De Renzi-Gainutdinov-Geer-Patureau-Mirand-Runkel obtained for the small quantum group. In the separating case, we express the order using the order of the ribbon twist on monoidal powers of the canonical end. As an application, we prove that the Johnson kernels of the mapping class groups act trivially if and only if for the canonical end the ribbon twist and double braiding with itself are trivial. We give a similar result for the visibility of the Torelli groups.

math.QA↗

arXiv2025

Dagger $n$-categories

Category theory provides a unified language for organizing composable operations in many disciplines. In disciplines where unitarity is fundamental -- such as functional analysis, quantum field theory, and quantum logic -- this language must also capture adjoints, leading to the notion of dagger categories. Higher category theory, which extends this framework to encode operations between operations, has recently become indispensable in both theoretical physics and pure mathematics. Finding a higher categorical analogue of a dagger category is therefore key to the foundations of quantum field theory. In this work, we present a coherent definition of \emph{dagger $(\infty,n)$-category} in terms of equivariance data trivialized on parts of the category. Our main example is the bordism $(\infty,n)$-category $\mathbf{Bord}_{n}^X$. This allows us to define (fully-local) \emph{reflection-positive topological quantum field theories} to be higher dagger functors out of $\mathbf{Bord}_{n}^X$.

math.CT↗

arXiv2025

A Higher Spin-Statistics Theorem for Invertible Quantum Field Theories

We prove that every unitary invertible quantum field theory satisfies a generalization of the famous spin-statistics theorem. To formulate this extension, we define a `higher spin' action of the stable orthogonal group $O$ on appropriate spacetime manifolds, which extends both the reflection involution and spin flip. On the algebraic side, we define a `higher statistics' action of $O$ on the universal target for invertible field theories, $I\mathbb{Z}$, which extends both complex conjugation and fermion parity $(-1)^F$. We prove that every unitary invertible quantum field theory intertwines these actions.

math-ph↗

arXiv2025

Orbifold completion of 3-categories

We develop a general theory of 3-dimensional ``orbifold completion'', to describe (generalised) orbifolds of topological quantum field theories as well as all their defects. Given a semistrict 3-category $\mathcal{T}$ with adjoints for all 1- and 2-morphisms (more precisely, a Gray category with duals), we construct the 3-category $\mathcal{T}_{\textrm{orb}}$ as a Morita category of certain $E_1$-algebras in $\mathcal{T}$ which encode triangulation invariance. We prove that in $\mathcal{T}_{\textrm{orb}}$ again all 1- and 2-morphisms have adjoints, that it contains $\mathcal{T}$ as a full subcategory, and we argue, but do not prove, that it satisfies a universal property which implies $(\mathcal{T}_{\textrm{orb}})_{\textrm{orb}} \cong \mathcal{T}_{\textrm{orb}}$. This is a categorification of the work in [CR]. Orbifold completion by design allows us to lift the orbifold construction from closed TQFT to the much richer world of defect TQFTs. We illustrate this by constructing a universal 3-dimensional state sum model with all defects from first principles, and we explain how recent work on defects between Witt equivalent Reshetikhin--Turaev theories naturally appears as a special case of orbifold completion.

math.QA↗

arXiv2025

Categorified Open Topological Field Theories

In this short note, we classify linear categorified open topological field theories in dimension two by pivotal Grothendieck-Verdier categories, a type of monoidal category equipped with a weak, not necessarily rigid duality. In combination with recently developed string-net techniques, this leads to a new description of the spaces of conformal blocks of Drinfeld centers $Z(\mathcal{C})$ of pivotal finite tensor categories $\mathcal{C}$ in terms of the modular envelope of the cyclic associative operad. If $\mathcal{C}$ is unimodular, we prove that the space of conformal blocks inherits the structure of a module over the algebra of class functions of $\mathcal{C}$ for every free boundary component. As a further application, we prove that the sewing along a boundary circle for the modular functor for $Z(\mathcal{C})$ can be decomposed into a sewing procedure along an interval and the application of the partial trace. Finally, we construct mapping class group representations from Grothendieck-Verdier categories that are not necessarily rigid and make precise how these generalize existing constructions.

math.QA↗

arXiv2025

On the Higher Categorical Structure of Topological Defects in Quantum Field Theories

We propose a unifying mathematical framework describing the higher categorical structures formed by topological defects in quantum field theory equipped with tangential structures, such as orientations, framings, or $\operatorname{Pin}^{\pm}$-structures, in terms of structured versions of higher dagger categories. This recovers all previously known results, including the description of oriented topological defects in 2-dimensional quantum field theories by pivotal bicategories. Assuming the stratified cobordism hypothesis, we prove our proposal for topological defects with stable tangential structures that admit a direct sum in fully extended topological quantum field theories.

math-ph↗

arXiv2025

Quantum Computing for Automotive Applications

Quantum computing could impact various industries, with the automotive industry with many computational challenges, from optimizing supply chains and manufacturing to vehicle engineering, being particularly promising. This chapter investigates state-of-the-art quantum algorithms to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and scalability across the automotive value chain. We explore recent advances in quantum optimization, machine learning, and numerical and chemistry simulations, highlighting their potential and limitations. We identify and discuss key challenges in near-term and fault-tolerant algorithms and their practical use in industrial applications. While quantum algorithms show potential in many application domains, current noisy intermediate-scale quantum hardware limits scale and, thus, business benefits. In the long term, fault-tolerant systems promise theoretical speedups; however, they also require further progress in hardware and software (e.g., related to error correction and data loading). We expect that with this progress, significant practical benefits will emerge eventually.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

The distinguished invertible object as ribbon dualizing object in the Drinfeld center

We prove that the Drinfeld center $Z(\mathcal{C})$ of a pivotal finite tensor category $\mathcal{C}$ comes with the structure of a ribbon Grothendieck-Verdier category in the sense of Boyarchenko-Drinfeld. Phrased operadically, this makes $Z(\mathcal{C})$ into a cyclic algebra over the framed $E_2$-operad. The underlying object of the dualizing object is the distinguished invertible object of $\mathcal{C}$ appearing in the well-known Radford isomorphism of Etingof-Nikshych-Ostrik. Up to equivalence, this is the unique ribbon Grothendieck-Verdier structure on $Z(\mathcal{C})$ extending the canonical balanced braided structure that $Z(\mathcal{C})$ already comes equipped with. The duality functor of this ribbon Grothendieck-Verdier structure coincides with the rigid duality if and only if $\mathcal{C}$ is spherical in the sense of Douglas-Schommer-Pries-Snyder. The main topological consequence of our algebraic result is that $Z(\mathcal{C})$ gives rise to an ansular functor, in fact even a modular functor regardless of whether $\mathcal{C}$ is spherical or not. In order to prove the aforementioned uniqueness statement for the ribbon Grothendieck-Verdier structure, we derive a seven-term exact sequence characterizing the space of ribbon Grothendieck-Verdier structures on a balanced braided category. This sequence features the Picard group of the balanced version of the Müger center of the balanced braided category.

math.QA↗

arXiv2024

Admissible Skein Modules and Ansular Functors: A Comparison

Given a finite ribbon category, which is a particular case of a cyclic algebra over the operad of genus zero surfaces, there are two possibilities for an extension defined on all three-dimensional handlebodies: On the one hand, one can use the admissible skein module construction of Costantino-Geer-Patureau-Mirand. On other hand, by a construction of the authors using Costello's modular envelope, one can build a so-called ansular functor, a handlebody version of the notion of a modular functor. Unlike the admissible skein modules with their construction through the Reshetikhin-Turaev graphical calculus, the ansular functor is defined purely through a universal property. In this note, we prove the widely held expectation that these constructions are related by giving an isomorphism between them, with the somewhat surprising subtlety that we need to include consistently on one of the sides an additional boundary component labeled by the distinguished invertible object of Etingof-Nikshych-Ostrik. In other words, the constructions agree on handlebodies up to a `background charge' that becomes trivial in the unimodular case. Our comparison result includes the handlebody group action as well as the skein algebra action.

math.QA↗

arXiv2024

Exponential Quantum Speedup for Simulation-Based Optimization Applications

The simulation of many industrially relevant physical processes can be executed up to exponentially faster using quantum algorithms. However, this speedup can only be leveraged if the data input and output of the simulation can be implemented efficiently. While we show that recent advancements for optimal state preparation can effectively solve the problem of data input at a moderate cost of ancillary qubits in many cases, the output problem can provably not be solved efficiently in general. By acknowledging that many simulation problems arise only as a subproblem of a larger optimization problem in many practical applications however, we identify and define a class of practically relevant problems that does not suffer from the output problem: Quantum Simulation-based Optimization (QuSO). QuSO represents optimization problems whose objective function and/or constraints depend on summary statistic information on the result of a simulation, i.e., information that can be efficiently extracted from a quantum state vector. In this article, we focus on the LinQuSO subclass of QuSO, which is characterized by the linearity of the simulation problem, i.e., the simulation problem can be formulated as a system of linear equations. By cleverly combining the quantum singular value transformation (QSVT) with the quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA), we prove that a large subgroup of LinQuSO problems can be solved with up to exponential quantum speedups with regards to their simulation component. Finally, we present two practically relevant use cases that fall within this subgroup of QuSO problems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Quantum-Inspired Fluid Simulation of 2D Turbulence with GPU Acceleration

Tensor network algorithms can efficiently simulate complex quantum many-body systems by utilizing knowledge of their structure and entanglement. These methodologies have been adapted recently for solving the Navier-Stokes equations, which describe a spectrum of fluid phenomena, from the aerodynamics of vehicles to weather patterns. Within this quantum-inspired paradigm, velocity is encoded as matrix product states (MPS), effectively harnessing the analogy between interscale correlations of fluid dynamics and entanglement in quantum many-body physics. This particular tensor structure is also called quantics tensor train (QTT). By utilizing NVIDIA's cuQuantum library to perform parallel tensor computations on GPUs, our adaptation speeds up simulations by up to 12.1 times. This allows us to study the algorithm in terms of its applicability, scalability, and performance. By simulating two qualitatively different but commonly encountered 2D flow problems at high Reynolds numbers up to $1\times10^7$ using a fourth-order time stepping scheme, we find that the algorithm has a potential advantage over direct numerical simulations in the turbulent regime as the requirements for grid resolution increase drastically. In addition, we derive the scaling $χ=\mathcal{O}(\text{poly}(1/ε))$ for the maximum bond dimension $χ$ of MPS representing turbulent flow fields, with an error $ε$, based on the spectral distribution of turbulent kinetic energy. Our findings motivate further exploration of related quantum algorithms and other tensor network methods.

physics.flu-dyn↗