Classical and quantum conformal field theory

We define chiral vertex operators and duality matrices and review the fundamental identities they satisfy. In order to understand the meaning of these equations, and therefore of conformal field theory, we define the classical limit of a conformal field theory as a limit in which the conformal weights of all primary fields vanish. The classical limit of the equations for the duality matrices in rational field theory together with some results of category theory, suggest that (quantum) conformal field theory should be regarded as a generalization of group theory.On leave of absence from the Department of Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel     

Spontaneous breaking of electric-magnetic charge symmetry in local quantum field theory

It is shown that in local quantum field theory with electric and magnetic currents, duality transformations are always spontaneously broken. Possible implications are discussed leading to the screening of magnetic charge and the failure of the cluster property as in two-dimensional quantum electrodynamics.     

Duals for Non-Abelian Lattice Gauge Theories by Categorical Methods

We introduce duals for non-Abelian lattice gauge theories in dimension at least three by using a categorical approach to the notion of duality in lattice theories. We first discuss the general concepts for the case of a dual-triangular lattice (i.e., the dual lattice is triangular) and find that the commutative tetrahedron condition of category theory can directly be used to define a gauge-invariant action for the dual theory. We then consider the cubic lattice (where the dual is cubic again). The case of the gauge group SU(2) is discussed in detail. We will find that in this case gauge connections of the dual theory correspond to SU(2) spin networks, suggesting that the dual is a discrete version of a quantum field theory of quantum simplicial complexes (i.e. the dual theory lives already on a quantized level in its classical form). We conclude by showing that our notion of duality leads to a hierarchy of extended lattice gauge theories closely resembling the one of extended topological quantum field theories. The appearance of this hierarchy can be understood by the quantum von Neumann hierarchy introduced by one of the authors in previous work.     

Punctured Haag Duality in Locally Covariant Quantum Field Theories

We investigate a new property of nets of local algebras over 4-dimensional globally hyperbolic spacetimes, called punctured Haag duality. This property consists in the usual Haag duality for the restriction of the net to the causal complement of a point p of the spacetime. Punctured Haag duality implies Haag duality and local definiteness. Our main result is that, if we deal with a locally covariant quantum field theory in the sense of Brunetti, Fredenhagen and Verch, then also the converse holds. The free Klein-Gordon field provides an example in which this property is verified.     

Compactified strings as quantum statistical partition function on the Jacobian torus

We show that the solitonic contribution of toroidally compactified strings corresponds to the quantum statistical partition function of a free particle living on higher dimensional spaces. In the simplest case of compactification on a circle, the Hamiltonian is the Laplacian on the 2g-dimensional Jacobian torus associated with the genus g Riemann surface corresponding to the string world sheet. T duality leads to a symmetry of the partition function mixing time and temperature. Such a classical-quantum correspondence and T duality shed some light on the well-known interplay between time and temperature in quantum field theory and classical statistical mechanics.     

Duality Quantum Computers and Quantum Operations

We present a mathematical theory for a new type of quantum computer called a duality quantum computer that is similar to one that has recently been proposed. We discuss the nonunitarity of certain circuits of a duality quantum computer. We then discuss the relevance of this work to quantum operations and their convexity theory. This discussion is based upon isomorphism theorems for completely positive maps.     

Abelian Duality and Abelian Wilson Loops

We consider a pure U(1) quantum gauge field theory on a general Riemannian compact four manifold. We compute the partition function with Abelian Wilson loop insertions. We find its duality covariance properties and derive topological selection rules. Finally, we show that, to have manifest duality, one must assume the existence of twisted topological sectors besides the standard untwisted one.     

Evidence for nonperturbative string symmetries

String theory appears to admit a group of discrete field transformations — calledS dualities — as exact nonperturbative quantum symmetries. Mathematically, they are rather analogous to the better-knownT duality symmetries, which hold perturbatively. In this Letter the evidence forS duality is reviewed and some speculations are presented.     

Duality in Off-Shell Electromagnetism

In this paper, we examine the Dirac monopole in the framework of Off-Shell Electromagnetism, the five-dimensional U(1) gauge theory associated with Stueckelberg–Schrodinger relativistic quantum theory. After reviewing the Dirac model in four dimensions, we show that the structure of the five-dimensional theory prevents a natural generaliza tion of the Dirac monopole, since the theory is not symmetric under duality transforma tions. It is shown that the duality symmetry can be restored by generalizing the electromagnetic field strength to an element of a Clifford algebra. Nevertheless, the generalized framework does not permit us to recover the phenomenological (or conventional) absence of magnetic monopoles.     

Conformal Invariance and Gravitational Coupling in Quantum Field Theory

We study the quantum constraints of a conformalinvariant action for a scalar field. For this purpose webriefly present a reformulation of the duality principleadvanced earlier in the context of generally covariant quantum field theory, and apply it toexamine the finite structure of the quantum constraints.This structure is shown to admit a dimensional coupling(a coupling mediated by a dimensional coupling parameter) of states to gravity. Invariancebreaking is introduced by defining a preferredconfiguration of dynamical variables in terms of thelargescale characteristics of the universe. In thisconfiguration a close relationship between the quantumconstraints and the Einstein equations isestablished.     

M-theory: Strings,duality and branes

String theory is an attempt to combine all of the known physical forces into a single unified framework. A powerful new type of duality symmetry has recently been discovered in string theory which has led to important breakthroughs. What were previously considered to be five distinct string theories are now known to be different aspects of an underlying structure called M-theory. In addition to strings, extended objects of higher dimension or 'branes', play a key role. We review these developments and discuss the impact that they are having on quantum field theory and the quantum properties of black holes.     

广义量子干涉原理及对偶量子计算机

我们综述最近提出的广义量子干涉原理及其在量子计算中的应用。广义量子干涉原理是对狄拉克单光子干涉原理的具体化和多光子推广,不但对像原子这样的紧致的量子力学体系适用,而且适用于几个独立的光子这样的松散量子体系。利用广义量子干涉原理,许多引起争议的问题都可以得到合理的解释,例如两个以上的单光子的干涉等问题。从广义量子干涉原理来看双光子或者多光子的干涉就是双光子和双光子自身的干涉,多光子和多光子自身的干涉。广义量子干涉原理可以利用多组分量子力学体系的广义Feynman积分表示,可以定量地计算。基于这个原理我们提出了一种新的计算机,波粒二象计算机,又称为对偶计算机。在原理上对偶计算机超越了经典的计算机和现有的量子计算机。在对偶计算机中,计算机的波函数被分成若干个子波并使其通过不同的路径,在这些路径上进行不同的量子计算门操作,而后这些子波重新合并产生干涉从而给出计算结果。除了量子计算机具有的量子平行性外,对偶计算机还具有对偶平行性。形象地说,对偶计算机是一台通过多狭缝的运动着的量子计算机,在不同的狭缝进行不同的量子操作,实现对偶平行性。目前已经建立起严格的对偶量子计算机的数学理论,为今后的进一步发展打下了基础。本文着重从物理的角度去综述广义量子干涉原理和对偶计算机。现在的研究已经证明,一台d狭缝的n比特的对偶计算机等同与一个n比特+一个d比特(qudit)的普通量子计算机,证明了对偶计算机具有比量子计算机更强大的能力。这样,我们可以使用一台具有n+log2d个比特的普通量子计算机去模拟一个d狭缝的n比特对偶计算机,省去了研制运动量子计算机的巨大的技术上的障碍。我们把这种量子计算机的运行模式称为对偶计算模式,或简称为对偶模式。利用这一联系反过来可以帮助我们理解广义量子干涉原理,因为在量子计算机中一切计算都是普通的量子力学所允许的量子操作,因此广义量子干涉原理就是普通的量子力学体系所允许的原理,而这个原理只是是在多体量子力学体系中才会表现出来。对偶计算机是一种新式的计算机,里面有许多问题期待研究和发展,同时也充满了机会。在对偶计算机中,除了幺正操作外,还可以允许非幺正操作,几乎包括我们可以想到的任何操作,我们称之为对偶门操作或者广义量子门操作。目前这已经引起了数学家的注意,并给出了广义量子门操作的一些数学性质。此外,利用量子计算机和对偶计算机的联系,可以将许多经典计算机的算法移植到量子计算机中,经过改造成为量子算法。由于对偶计算机中的演化是非幺正的,对偶量子计算机将可能在开放量子力学的体系的研究中起到重要的作用。     

Duality and modular invariance in rational conformal field theories

We investigate the polynomial equations which should be satisfied by the duality data for a rational conformal field theory. We show that by these duality data we can construct some vector spaces which are isomorphic to the spaces of conformal blocks. One can construct explicitly the inner product for the former if one deals with a unitary theory. These vector spaces endowed with an inner product are the algebraic reminiscences of the Hilbert spaces in a Chern-Simons theory. As by-products, we show that the polynomial equations involving the modular transformations for the one-point blocks on the torus are not independent. We discuss the solution of structure constants for a physical theory. Making some assumption, we obtain a neat solution. And this solution in turn implies that the quantum groups of the left sector and of the right sector must be the same, although the chiral algebras need not be the same. Some examples are given. Finally, we discuss the reconstruction of the quantum group in a rational conformal theory.     

Polynomial invariants for SU(2) monopoles

We present an explicit expression for the topological invariants associated to SU(2) monopoles in the fundamental representation on spin four-manifolds. The computation of these invariants is based on the analysis of their corresponding topological quantum field theory, and it turns out that they can be expressed in terms of Seiberg-Witten invariants. In this analysis we use recent exact results on the moduli space of vacua of the untwisted N = 1 and N = 2 supersymmetric counterparts of the topological quantum field theory under consideration, as well as on electric-magnetic duality for N = 2 supersymmetric gauge theories.     

Duality in the Azbel-Hofstadter Problem and Two-Dimensional d-Wave Superconductivity with a Magnetic Field

A single-parameter family of the lattice-fermion model is constructed. It is a deformation of the Azbel-Hofstadter problem by a parameter h = Delta/t (quantum parameter). A topological number is attached to each energy band. A duality between the classical limit ( h = +0) and the quantum limit ( h = 1) is revealed in the energy spectrum and the topological number. The model has a close relation to two-dimensional d-wave superconductivity with a magnetic field. Making use of the duality and a topological argument, we shed light on how quasiparticles with a magnetic field behave, especially in the quantum limit.     

String Geometry and the Noncommutative Torus

We construct a new gauge theory on a pair of d-dimensional noncommutative tori. The latter comes from an intimate relationship between the noncommutative geometry associated with a lattice vertex operator algebra ? and the noncommutative torus. We show that the tachyon algebra of ? is naturally isomorphic to a class of twisted modules representing quantum deformations of the algebra of functions on the torus. We construct the corresponding real spectral triples and determine their Morita equivalence classes using string duality arguments. These constructions yield simple proofs of the O(d,d;ℤ) Morita equivalences between d-dimensional noncommutative tori and give a natural physical interpretation of them in terms of the target space duality group of toroidally compactified string theory. We classify the automorphisms of the twisted modules and construct the most general gauge theory which is invariant under the automorphism group. We compute bosonic and fermionic actions associated with these gauge theories and show that they are explicitly duality-symmetric. The duality-invariant gauge theory is manifestly covariant but contains highly non-local interactions. We show that it also admits a new sort of particle-antiparticle duality which enables the construction of instanton field configurations in any dimension. The duality non-symmetric on-shell projection of the field theory is shown to coincide with the standard non-abelian Yang–Mills gauge theory minimally coupled to massive Dirac fermion fields. Received: 26 October 1998/ Accepted: 9 April 1999     

Quantum corrections to the classical reflection factor in a2(1) Toda field theory

The O(β²) quantum correction to the classical reflection factor is calculated for one of the integrable boundary conditions of a₂⁽¹⁾ affine Toda field theory. This is found to agree with the conjectured exact reflection factor of the quantum theory. We consider the existence of other exact reflection factors consistent with our perturbative answer and examine the question of how duality transformations might relate theories with different boundary conditions.     

Gauge theories of Josephson junction arrays

We show that the zero-temperature physics of planar Josephson junction arrays in the self-dual approximation is governed by an Abelian gauge theory with a periodic mixed Chern-Simons term describing the charge-vortex coupling. The periodicity requires the existence of (Euclidean) topological excitations which determine the quantum phase structure of the model. The electric-magnetic duality leads to a quantum phase transition between a superconductor and a superinsulator at the self-dual point. We also discuss in this framework the recently proposed quantum Hall phases for charges and vortices in presence of external offset charges and magnetic fluxes: we show how the periodicity of the charge-vortex coupling can lead to transitions to anyon superconductivity phases. We finally generalize our results to three dimensions, where the relevant gauge theory is the so-called BF system with an antisymmetric Kalb-Ramond gauge field.     

A diagrammatic equation for oriented planar graphs

In this paper we derive a diagrammatic equation for the planar sector of square non-Hermitian random matrix models. Our fundamental equation is first obtained by a graph counting argument (inspired by the Polchinski equation in quantum field theory) and subsequently derived independently by a precise saddle point analysis of the corresponding random matrix integral. We solve the equation perturbatively for a generic model and conclude by exhibiting two duality properties of the perturbative solution.     

Nonrelativistic fermions in magnetic fields: a quantum field theory approach

The statistical mechanics of nonrelativistic fermions in a constant magnetic field is considered from the quantum field theory point of view. The fermionic determinant is computed using a general procedure that is compatible with the all reasonable regularization procedures. The nonrelativistic grand-potential can be expressed in terms polylogarithm functions, whereas the partition function in 2+1 dimensions and vanishing chemical potential can be compactly written in terms of the Dedekind eta function. The strong and weak magnetic fields limits are easily studied in the latter case by using the duality properties of the Dedekind function.