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Anomaly Enforced Gaplessness and Symmetry Fractionalization for $Spin_G$ Symmetries

T. Daniel Brennan

Abstract

Symmetries and their anomalies give strong constraints on renormalization group (RG) flows of quantum field theories. Recently, the identification of a theory's global symmetries with its topological sector has provided additional constraints on RG flows to symmetry preserving gapped phases due to mathematical results in category and topological quantum field theory. In this paper, we derive constraints on RG flows from $\mathbb{Z}_2$-valued pure- and mixed-gravitational anomalies that can only be activated on non-spin manifolds. We show that such anomalies cannot be matched by a unitary, symmetry preserving gapped phase without symmetry fractionalization. In particular, we discuss examples that commonly arise in $4d$ gauge theories with fermions.

Anomaly Enforced Gaplessness and Symmetry Fractionalization for $Spin_G$ Symmetries

Abstract

Symmetries and their anomalies give strong constraints on renormalization group (RG) flows of quantum field theories. Recently, the identification of a theory's global symmetries with its topological sector has provided additional constraints on RG flows to symmetry preserving gapped phases due to mathematical results in category and topological quantum field theory. In this paper, we derive constraints on RG flows from -valued pure- and mixed-gravitational anomalies that can only be activated on non-spin manifolds. We show that such anomalies cannot be matched by a unitary, symmetry preserving gapped phase without symmetry fractionalization. In particular, we discuss examples that commonly arise in gauge theories with fermions.
Paper Structure (11 sections, 67 equations)

This paper contains 11 sections, 67 equations.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Review of Anomaly Enforced Gaplessness on Spin Manifolds
  3. Proof of \ref{['positivitybackgroundPF']}
  4. Anomaly Enforced Gaplessness for $Spin_G$ Symmetries
  5. $Z_{TQFT}$ on non-Spin Manifolds
  6. Generalized Gluck Twist and Symmetry Fractionalization
  7. Positivity in Higher Dimensions
  8. Anomaly Enforced Gaplessness for $Spin_G$ Symmetries in General Dimensions
  9. Examples in $4d$
  10. Type 1 Anomaly
  11. Type 2 Anomaly