Browsing by Author "Pantev, Tony"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Chern-Simons theory, decomposition, and the A model
    Pantev, Tony; Sharpe, Eric; Yu, Xingyang (2024-10-15)
    In this paper, we discuss how gauging one-form symmetries in Chern-Simons theories is implemented in an A-twisted topological open string theory. For example, the contribution from a fixed H/Z bundle on a three-manifold M, arising in a BZ gauging of H Chern-Simons, for Z a finite subgroup of the center of H, is described by an open string worldsheet theory whose bulk is a sigma model with target a Z-gerbe (a bundle of one-form symmetries) over T∗M, of characteristic class determined by the H/Z bundle. We give a worldsheet picture of the decomposition of one-form-symmetry-gauged Chern-Simons in three dimensions, and we describe how a target-space constraint on bundles arising in the gauged Chern-Simons theory has a natural worldsheet realization. Our proposal provides examples of the expected correspondence between worldsheet global higher-form symmetries, and target-space gauged higher-form symmetries.
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    Duality group actions on fermions
    Pantev, Tony; Sharpe, Eric R. (Springer, 2016-11-29)
    In this short paper we look at the action of T-duality and string duality groups on fermions, in maximally-supersymmetric theories and related theories. Briefly, we argue that typical duality groups such as SL( 2, Z) have sign ambiguities in their actions on fermions, and propose that pertinent duality groups be extended by Z 2, to groups such as the metaplectic group. Specifically, we look at duality groups arising from mapping class groups of tori in M theory compactifications, T-duality, ten-dimensional type IIB S-duality, and ( briefly) four-dimensional N = 4 super Yang-Mills, and in each case, propose that the full duality group is a nontrivial Z 2 extension of the duality group acting on bosonic degrees of freedom, to more accurately describe possible actions on fermions. We also walk through U-duality groups for toroidal compactifications to nine, eight, and seven dimensions, which enables us to perform cross-consistency tests of these proposals.
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    Orbifolds by 2-groups and decomposition
    Pantev, Tony; Robbins, Daniel G.; Sharpe, Eric; Vandermeulen, Thomas (2022-09-05)
    In this paper we study three-dimensional orbifolds by 2-groups with a trivially-acting one-form symmetry group BK. These orbifolds have a global two-form symmetry, and so one expects that they decompose into (are equivalent to) a disjoint union of other three-dimensional theories, which we demonstrate. These theories can be interpreted as sigma models on 2-gerbes, whose formal structures reflect properties of the orbifold construction.