arXiv subjects

Thomas T. Dumitrescu

Publications and source records attributed to Thomas T. Dumitrescu.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Symmetry Breaking from Monopole Condensation in QED$_3$

QED in three dimensions with an $SU(2)_f$ doublet $ψ^i$ of massless, charge-1 Dirac fermions (and no Chern-Simons term) has a $U(2) = (SU(2)_f \times U(1)_m)/\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry that acts on gauge-invariant local operators, including monopole operators charged under $U(1)_m$. We argue that there are only two plausible IR scenarios: either the theory flows to a CFT with $U(2)$ symmetry (a scenario strongly constrained by conformal bootstrap bounds); or it spontaneously breaks $U(2) \to U(1)$ via the condensation of a monopole operator of smallest $U(1)_m$ charge, which is a $U(2)$ doublet. This leads to three Nambu-Goldstone bosons described by a sigma model into a squashed three-sphere $S^3$ with $U(2)$ isometry. The conventional $SU(2)_f$-triplet order parameter $i \bar ψ\vec σ\, ψ$ also gets a vev, exactly aligned with the monopole vev, such that the triplet parametrizes the $\mathbb{CP}^1$ base of the $S^3$ Hopf bundle, with the monopoles providing the $S^1$ fibers. We recall why this scenario is compatible with the Vafa-Witten theorem. These results are obtained by considering the phase diagram as a function of the fermion triplet mass $\vec m$. We argue that for all $\vec m \neq 0$ there is a Coulomb phase with a weakly-coupled photon, which arises from a suitable monopole vev; taking $\vec m \to 0$ leads to the symmetry-breaking scenario above. Throughout, we give a detailed account of anomaly matching, which leads to a $θ=π$ term in the $S^3$ sigma model. In one presentation, it can be understood as a Hopf term in a suitably gauged version of the $\mathbb{CP}^1$ sigma model.

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arXiv2026

Line Defect Quantum Numbers & Anomalies

We explore the connection between the global symmetry quantum numbers of line defects and 't Hooft anomalies. Relative to local (point) operators, line defects may transform projectively under both internal and spacetime symmetries. This phenomenon is known as symmetry fractionalization, and in general it signals the presence of certain discrete 't Hooft anomalies. We describe this in detail in the context of free Maxwell theory in four dimensions. This understanding allows us to deduce the 't Hooft anomalies of non-Abelian gauge theories with renormalization group flows into Maxwell theory by analyzing the fractional quantum numbers of dynamical magnetic monopoles. We illustrate this method in $SU(2)$ gauge theories with matter fermions in diverse representations of the gauge group. For adjoint matter, we uncover a mixed anomaly involving the 0-form and 1-form symmetries, extending previous results. For $SU(2)$ QCD with fundamental fermions, the 't Hooft anomaly for the 0-form symmetries that is encoded by the fractionalization patterns of lines in the Maxwell phase is a consequence of the familiar perturbative (triangle) anomaly.

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arXiv2026

Phases of Giant Magnetic Vortex Strings

We consider Abrikosov-Nielsen-Olesen magnetic vortex strings in 3+1 dimensional Abelian Higgs models. We systematically analyze the giant vortex regime using a combination of analytic and numerical methods. In this regime the strings are infinitely long, axially symmetric, and support a large magnetic flux n along the symmetry axis in their core that causes them to spread out in the transverse directions. Extending previous observations, we show that the non-linear equations governing giant vortices can essentially be solved exactly. The solutions fall into different universality classes, reflecting the properties of the Higgs potential, that become sharply distinct phases in the large-n limit. We use this understanding to shed light on the binding energies and stability of vortex strings in each universality class.

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arXiv2026

From QED$_3$ to Self-Dual Multicriticality in the Fradkin-Shenker Model

We consider the Fradkin-Shenker ${\mathbb Z}_2$ gauge-Higgs lattice model in 2+1 dimensions, i.e. the toric code deformed by an in-plane magnetic field. Its phase diagram contains a multicritical CFT with gapless, mutually non-local electric and magnetic particles, exchanged by a ${\mathbb Z}_2^{\mathsf{D}}$ self-duality symmetry. We introduce a staggered generalization of the model in which these particles carry global $U(1)_e$ and $U(1)_m$ charges, respectively, and we propose a continuum QFT description in terms of QED$_3$ with $N_f = 2$ Dirac fermion flavors and a charge-two Higgs field with Yukawa couplings. The conjectured phase diagram harbors a multicritical CFT with $(O(2)_e \times O(2)_m)\rtimes\mathbb{Z}_2^\mathsf{D}$ symmetry, some of which is emergent in the QFT description. We compute the scaling dimensions of some operators using a large-$N_f$ expansion and find agreement with the emergent selection rules. The staggered model admits a deformation to the original Fradkin-Shenker model, which maps to unit-charge monopole operators in Higgs-Yukawa-QED$_3$ that break the $U(1)_e \times U(1)_m$ symmetry. We show explicitly that this deformation reproduces all features of the Fradkin-Shenker phase diagram. Finally, we propose a multicritical duality between Higgs-Yukawa-QED$_3$ and the easy-plane $\mathbb{ CP}^1$ model (i.e. two-flavor scalar QED$_3$ with a suitable potential), which describes spin-1/2 anti-ferromagnets on a square lattice. This duality implies a first-order line of Néel-VBS transitions ending in a deconfined quantum multicritical point, described by the same $O(2)_e \times O(2)_m$ symmetric CFT that arises in the staggered Fradkin-Shenker model, which separates it from a gapped ${\mathbb Z}_2$ spin liquid phase.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Comments on QED$_3$ in a Magnetic Field

We discuss the low-energy dynamics of massless Dirac fermions interacting with a propagating, relativistic photon in 2+1 spacetime dimensions, when we turn on a uniform magnetic field. This problem can be solved when the magnetic field is sufficiently strong. As observed previously, we find that the vacuum spontaneously breaks some of the global symmetries. We also determine the spectrum of excitations around this vacuum, and compute the resulting low-energy effective action. We use techniques that were previously developed for quantum Hall ferromagnets in condensed matter physics.

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arXiv2024

Cascading from $\mathscr{N}=2$ Supersymmetric Yang-Mills Theory to Confinement and Chiral Symmetry Breaking in Adjoint QCD

We argue that adjoint QCD in 3+1 dimensions, with any $SU(N)$ gauge group and two Weyl fermion flavors (i.e. one adjoint Dirac fermion), confines and spontaneously breaks its chiral symmetries via the condensation of a fermion bilinear. We flow to this theory from pure $\mathscr{N}=2$ SUSY Yang-Mills theory with the same gauge group, by giving a SUSY-breaking mass $M$ to the scalars in the $\mathscr{N} = 2$ vector multiplet. This flow can be analyzed rigorously at small $M$, where it leads to a deconfined vacuum at the origin of the $\mathscr{N}=2$ Coulomb branch. The analysis can be extended to all $M$ using an Abelian dual description that arises from the $N$ multi-monopole points of the $\mathscr{N} = 2$ theory. At each such point, there are $N-1$ hypermultiplet Higgs fields $h_m^{i = 1, 2}$, which are $SU(2)_R$ doublets. We provide a detailed study of the phase diagram as a function of $M$, by analyzing the semi-classical phases of the dual using a combination of analytic and numerical techniques. The result is a cascade of first-order phase transitions, along which the Higgs fields $h_m^i$ successively turn on, and which interpolates between the Coulomb branch at small $M$, where all $h_m^i = 0$, and a maximal Higgs branch, where all $h_m^i \neq 0$, at sufficiently large $M$. We show that this maximal Higgs branch precisely matches the confining and chiral symmetry breaking phase of two-flavor adjoint QCD, including its broken and unbroken symmetries, its massless spectrum, and the expected large-$N$ scaling of various observables. The spontaneous breaking pattern $SU(2)_R \to U(1)_R$, consistent with the Vafa-Witten theorem, is ensured by an intricate alignment mechanism for the $h_m^i$ in the dual, and leads to a $\mathbb{C}\mathbb{P}^1$ sigma model of increasing radius along the cascade.

hep-th↗

arXiv2024

Higgs-Confinement Transitions in QCD from Symmetry Protected Topological Phases

In gauge theories with fundamental matter there is typically no sharp way to distinguish confining and Higgs regimes, e.g. using generalized global symmetries acting on loop order parameters. It is standard lore that these two regimes are continuously connected, as has been explicitly demonstrated in certain lattice and continuum models. We point out that Higgsing and confinement sometimes lead to distinct symmetry protected topological (SPT) phases -- necessarily separated by a phase transition -- for ordinary global symmetries. We present explicit examples in 3+1 dimensions, obtained by adding elementary Higgs fields and Yukawa couplings to QCD while preserving parity P and time reversal T. In a suitable scheme, the confining phases of these theories are trivial SPTs, while their Higgs phases are characterized by non-trivial P- and T-invariant theta-angles $θ_f, θ_g = π$ for flavor or gravity background gauge fields, i.e. they are topological insulators or superconductors. Finally, we consider conventional three-flavor QCD (without elementary Higgs fields) at finite $U(1)_B$ baryon-number chemical potential $μ_B$, which preserves P and T. At very large $μ_B$, three-flavor QCD is known to be a completely Higgsed color superconductor that also spontaneously breaks $U(1)_B$. We argue that this high-density phase is in fact a gapless SPT, with a gravitational theta-angle $θ_g = π$ that safely co-exists with the $U(1)_B$ Nambu-Goldstone boson. We explain why this SPT motivates unexpected transitions in the QCD phase diagram, as well as anomalous surface modes at the boundary of quark-matter cores inside neutron stars.

hep-th↗

arXiv2024

Candidate Phases for SU(2) Adjoint QCD$_4$ with Two Flavors from $\mathcal{N}=2$ Supersymmetric Yang-Mills Theory

We study four-dimensional adjoint QCD with gauge group SU(2) and two Weyl fermion flavors, which has an $SU(2)_R$ chiral symmetry. The infrared behavior of this theory is not firmly established. We explore candidate infrared phases by embedding adjoint QCD into $\mathcal{N}=2$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory deformed by a supersymmetry-breaking scalar mass M that preserves all global symmetries and 't Hooft anomalies. This includes 't Hooft anomalies that are only visible when the theory is placed on manifolds that do not admit a spin structure. The consistency of this procedure is guaranteed by a nonabelian spin-charge relation involving the $SU(2)_R$ symmetry that is familiar from topologically twisted $\mathcal{N}=2$ theories. Since every vacuum on the Coulomb branch of the $\mathcal{N}=2$ theory necessarily matches all 't Hooft anomalies, we can generate candidate phases for adjoint QCD by deforming the theories in these vacua while preserving all symmetries and 't Hooft anomalies. One such deformation is the supersymmetry-breaking scalar mass M itself, which can be reliably analyzed when M is small. In this regime it gives rise to an exotic Coulomb phase without chiral symmetry breaking. By contrast, the theory near the monopole and dyon points can be deformed to realize a candidate phase with monopole-induced confinement and chiral symmetry breaking. The low-energy theory consists of two copies of a $\mathbb{CP}^1$ sigma model, which we analyze in detail. Certain topological couplings that are likely to be present in this $\mathbb{CP}^1$ model turn the confining solitonic string of the model into a topological insulator. We also examine the behavior of various candidate phases under fermion mass deformations. We speculate on the possible large-M behavior of the deformed $\mathcal{N}=2$ theory and conjecture that the $\mathbb{CP}^1$ phase eventually becomes dominant.

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arXiv2022

Exploring the Strong-Coupling Region of $SU(N)$ Seiberg-Witten Theory

We consider the Seiberg-Witten solution of pure $\mathcal{N} =2$ gauge theory in four dimensions, with gauge group $SU(N)$. A simple exact series expansion for the dependence of the $2 (N-1)$ Seiberg-Witten periods $a_I(u), a_{DI}(u)$ on the $N-1$ Coulomb-branch moduli $u_n$ is obtained around the $\mathbb{Z}_{2N}$-symmetric point of the Coulomb branch, where all $u_n$ vanish. This generalizes earlier results for $N=2$ in terms of hypergeometric functions, and for $N=3$ in terms of Appell functions. Using these and other analytical results, combined with numerical computations, we explore the global structure of the Kähler potential $K = \frac{1}{2π} \sum_I \text{Im}(\bar a_I a_{DI})$, which is single valued on the Coulomb branch. Evidence is presented that $K$ is a convex function, with a unique minimum at the $\mathbb{Z}_{2N}$-symmetric point. Finally, we explore candidate walls of marginal stability in the vicinity of this point, and their relation to the surface of vanishing Kähler potential.

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arXiv2022

Snowmass White Paper: Generalized Symmetries in Quantum Field Theory and Beyond

Symmetry plays a central role in quantum field theory. Recent developments include symmetries that act on defects and other subsystems, and symmetries that are categorical rather than group-like. These generalized notions of symmetry allow for new kinds of anomalies that constrain dynamics. We review some transformative instances of these novel aspects of symmetry in quantum field theory, and give a broad-brush overview of recent applications.

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arXiv2021

Infinite-Dimensional Fermionic Symmetry in Supersymmetric Gauge Theories

We establish the existence of an infinite-dimensional fermionic symmetry in four-dimensional supersymmetric gauge theories by analyzing semiclassical photino dynamics in abelian ${\cal N}=1$ theories with charged matter. The symmetry is parametrized by a spinor-valued function on an asymptotic $S^2$ at null infinity. It is not manifest at the level of the Lagrangian, but acts non-trivially on physical states, and its Ward identity is the soft photino theorem. The infinite-dimensional fermionic symmetry resides in the same ${\cal N}=1$ supermultiplet as the physically non-trivial large gauge symmetries associated with the soft photon theorem.

hep-th↗

arXiv2021

Revisiting the Multi-Monopole Point of $SU(N)$ $\mathcal{N} = 2$ Gauge Theory in Four Dimensions

Motivated by applications to soft supersymmetry breaking, we revisit the expansion of the Seiberg-Witten solution around the multi-monopole point on the Coulomb branch of pure $SU(N)$ $\mathcal{N}=2$ gauge theory in four dimensions. At this point $N-1$ mutually local magnetic monopoles become massless simultaneously, and in a suitable duality frame the gauge couplings logarithmically run to zero. We explicitly calculate the leading threshold corrections to this logarithmic running from the Seiberg-Witten solution by adapting a method previously introduced by D'Hoker and Phong. We compare our computation to existing results in the literature; this includes results specific to $SU(2)$ and $SU(3)$ gauge theories, the large-$N$ results of Douglas and Shenker, as well as results obtained by appealing to integrable systems or topological strings. We find broad agreement, while also clarifying some lingering inconsistencies. Finally, we explicitly extend the results of Douglas and Shenker to finite $N$, finding exact agreement with our first calculation.

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arXiv2020

Supercurrents and Brane Currents in Diverse Dimensions

We systematically analyze all possible supersymmetry multiplets that include the supersymmetry current and the energy-momentum tensor in various dimensions, focusing on N=1 in four dimensions. The most general such multiplet is the S-multiplet, which includes 16 bosonic and 16 fermionic operators. In special situations it can be decomposed, leading to smaller multiplets with 12+12 or even 8+8 operators. Physically, these multiplets give rise to different brane charges in the supersymmetry algebra. The S-multiplet is needed when the algebra contains both string and domain wall charges. In lower dimensions (or in four-dimensional N=2 theories) the algebra can include space-filling brane charges, which are associated with partial supersymmetry breaking. This phenomenon is physically distinct from ordinary spontaneous supersymmetry breaking. Our analysis leads to new results about the dynamics of supersymmetric field theories. These include constraints on the existence of certain charged branes and the absence of magnetic charges in U(1) gauge theories with a Fayet-Iliopoulos term.

hep-th↗

arXiv2020

2-Group Global Symmetries and Anomalies in Six-Dimensional Quantum Field Theories

We examine six-dimensional quantum field theories through the lens of higher-form global symmetries. Every Yang-Mills gauge theory in six dimensions, with field strength $f^{(2)}$, naturally gives rise to a continuous 1-form global symmetry associated with the 2-form instanton current $J^{(2)} \sim * \text{Tr} \left( f^{(2)} \wedge f^{(2)}\right)$. We show that suitable mixed anomalies involving the gauge field $f^{(2)}$ and ordinary 0-form global symmetries, such as flavor or Poincaré symmetries, lead to continuous 2-group global symmetries, which allow two flavor currents or two stress tensors to fuse into the 2-form current $J^{(2)}$. We discuss several features of 2-group symmetry in six dimensions, many of which parallel the four-dimensional case. The majority of six-dimensional supersymmetric conformal field theories (SCFTs) and little string theories have infrared phases with non-abelian gauge fields. We show that the mixed anomalies leading to 2-group symmetries can be present in little string theories, but that they are necessarily absent in SCFTs. This allows us to establish a previously conjectured algorithm for computing the 't Hooft anomalies of most SCFTs from the spectrum of weakly-coupled massless particles on the tensor branch of these theories. We then apply this understanding to prove that the $a$-type Weyl anomaly of all SCFTs with a tensor branch must be positive, $a > 0$.

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arXiv2019

${\cal N}=(1,0)$ Anomaly Multiplet Relations in Six Dimensions

We consider conformal and 't Hooft anomalies in six-dimensional ${\cal N}=(1,0)$ superconformal field theories, focusing on those conformal anomalies that determine the two- and three-point functions of conserved flavor and $SU(2)_R$ currents, as well as stress tensors. By analyzing these correlators in superspace, we explain why the number of independent conformal anomalies is reduced in supersymmetric theories. For instance, non-supersymmetric CFTs in six dimensions have three independent conformal $c$-anomalies, which determine the stress-tensor two- and three-point functions, but in superconformal theories the three $c$-anomalies are subject to a linear constraint. We also describe anomaly multiplet relations, which express the conformal anomalies of a superconformal theory in terms of its 't Hooft anomalies. Following earlier work on the conformal $a$-anomaly, we argue for these relations by considering the supersymmetric dilaton effective action on the tensor branch of such a theory. We illustrate the utility of these anomaly multiplet relations by presenting exact results for conformal anomalies, and hence current and stress-tensor correlators, in several interacting examples.

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arXiv2019

Metastable Vacua in Large-$N$ QCD$_3$

We reexamine the vacuum structure of three-dimensional quantum chromodynamics (QCD$_3$) with gauge group $SU(N)$, $N_f$ fundamental quark flavors, and a level-$k$ Chern-Simons term. This analysis can be reliably carried out in the large-$N$, fixed $N_f, k$ limit of the theory, up to certain assumptions that we spell out explicitly. At leading order in the large-$N$ expansion we find $N_f + 1$ distinct, exactly degenerate vacuum superselection sectors with different patterns of flavor-symmetry breaking. The associated massless Nambu-Goldstone bosons are generically accompanied by topological Chern-Simons theories. This set of vacua contains many candidate phases previously proposed for QCD$_3$. At subleading order in the large-$N$ expansion, the exact degeneracy between the different superselection sectors is lifted, leading to a multitude of metastable vacua. If we dial the quark masses, different metastable vacua can become the true vacuum of the theory, leading to a sequence of first-order phase transitions. This intricate large-$N$ dynamics can be captured by the previously proposed bosonic dual theories for QCD$_3$, provided these bosonic duals are furnished with a suitable scalar potential. Interestingly, this potential must include terms beyond quartic order in the scalar fields.

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arXiv2018

Exploring 2-Group Global Symmetries

We analyze four-dimensional quantum field theories with continuous 2-group global symmetries. At the level of their charges such symmetries are identical to a product of continuous flavor or spacetime symmetries with a 1-form global symmetry $U(1)^{(1)}_B$, which arises from a conserved 2-form current $J_B^{(2)}$. Rather, 2-group symmetries are characterized by deformed current algebras, with quantized structure constants, which allow two flavor currents or stress tensors to fuse into $J_B^{(2)}$. This leads to unconventional Ward identities, which constrain the allowed patterns of spontaneous 2-group symmetry breaking and other aspects of the renormalization group flow. If $J_B^{(2)}$ is coupled to a 2-form background gauge field $B^{(2)}$, the 2-group current algebra modifies the behavior of $B^{(2)}$ under background gauge transformations. Its transformation rule takes the same form as in the Green-Schwarz mechanism, but only involves the background gauge or gravity fields that couple to the other 2-group currents. This makes it possible to partially cancel reducible 't Hooft anomalies using Green-Schwarz counterterms for the 2-group background gauge fields. The parts that cannot be cancelled are reinterpreted as mixed, global anomalies involving $U(1)_B^{(1)}$ and receive contributions from topological, as well as massless, degrees of freedom. Theories with 2-group symmetry are constructed by gauging an abelian flavor symmetry with suitable mixed 't Hooft anomalies, which leads to many simple and explicit examples. Some of them have dynamical string excitations that carry $U(1)_B^{(1)}$ charge, and 2-group symmetry determines certain 't Hooft anomalies on the world sheets of these strings. Finally, we point out that holographic theories with 2-group global symmetries have a bulk description in terms of dynamical gauge fields that participate in a conventional Green-Schwarz mechanism.

hep-th↗

arXiv2018

Anomalies, Renormalization Group Flows, and the a-Theorem in Six-Dimensional (1,0) Theories

We establish a linear relation between the $a$-type Weyl anomaly and the 't Hooft anomaly coefficients for the $R$-symmetry and gravitational anomalies in six-dimensional $(1,0)$ superconformal field theories. For RG flows onto the tensor branch, where conformal symmetry is spontaneously broken, supersymmetry relates the anomaly mismatch $Δa$ to the square of a four-derivative interaction for the dilaton. This establishes the $a$-theorem for all such flows. The four-derivative dilaton interaction is in turn related to the Green-Schwarz-like terms that are needed to match the 't Hooft anomalies on the tensor branch, thus fixing their relation to $Δa$. We use our formula to obtain exact expressions for the $a$-anomaly of $N$ small $E_8$ instantons, as well as $N$ M5-branes probing an orbifold singularity, and verify the $a$-theorem for RG flows onto their Higgs branches. We also discuss aspects of supersymmetric RG flows that terminate in scale but not conformally invariant theories with massless gauge fields.

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