CMSA Quantum Matter in Mathematics and Physics: Generalized ‘t Hooft anomalies in vector-like theories

CMSA EVENTS

Speaker:

Mohamed M. Anber - Louis and Clark College

't Hooft anomalies provide a unique handle to study the nonperturbative infrared dynamics of strongly-coupled theories.  Recently, it has been realized that higher-form global symmetries can also become anomalous, leading to further constraints on the infrared dynamics.  In this talk, I show how one can turn on 't Hooft twists in the color, flavor, and baryon number directions in vector-like asymptotically-free gauge theories, which can be used to find new generalized 't Hooft anomalies. I give examples of the constraints the generalized anomalies impose on strongly-coupled gauge theories. Then, I argue that the anomaly inflow can explain a non-trivial intertwining that takes place between the light and heavy degrees of freedom on axion domain walls, which leads to the deconfinement of quarks on the walls.  This phenomenon can be explicitly seen in a weakly-coupled model of QCD compactified on a small circle.

Zoom: https://harvard.zoom.us/j/977347126