Anomalies in (2+1)D symmetry-enriched topological phases

Details
Speaker Name/Affiliation
Daniel Bulmash / Dept. of Physics, CU Boulder
When
-
Seminar Type Other
CTQM Theory Colloquium (formerly CTQM Seminar)
Location (Room)
Duane Physics Room G126
Event Details & Abstracts

Abstract: Topological phases of matter, like fractional quantum Hall systems, can host anyon excitations with fractional exchange statistics and fractional electric charges. More generally, when topological phases with anyons have global symmetries, anyons can carry fractional quantum numbers under those symmetries. Remarkably, some choices of fractional quantum numbers are anomalous, that is, they are physically allowed to exist, but only when the (2+1)D system lives on the surface of a bulk (3+1)D symmetry-protected topological phase like a topological insulator. Given abstract algebraic data specifying these quantum numbers, I will overview how to determine whether the resulting (2+1)D theory is anomalous and, if so, how to describe the required bulk theory.