Generalized global symmetries

A q-form global symmetry is a global symmetry for which the charged operators are of space-time dimension q; e.g. Wilson lines, surface defects, etc., and the charged excitations have q spatial dimensions; e.g. strings, membranes, etc. Many of the properties of ordinary global symmetries (q = 0) apply here. They lead to Ward identities and hence to selection rules on amplitudes. Such global symmetries can be coupled to classical background fields and they can be gauged by summing over these classical fields. These generalized global symmetries can be spontaneously broken (either completely or to a sub-group). They can also have ’t Hooft anomalies, which prevent us from gauging them, but lead to ’t Hooft…

• UD
  U.S. Department of Energy

  Awards: FG02-92ER40701, DE-FG02-92ER40701, DE-SC0009988, SC0009988, DE-FG02-, DE-FG02
• GO
  Government of Canada
• US
  United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation

  Award: 2010/629
• IC
  Industry Canada
• MD
  Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico
• IP
  Institut Périmètre de physique théorique